March 18, 2026
Sienna Wings cannot currently use its name in storefront signage due to a trademark issue.
Sienna Wings, founded by then-14-year-old Tyla Simone Crayton, is facing a trademark dispute that is blocking its expansion.
Sienna Wings went viral in 2020 for its teen CEO and its signature sauces, making Crayton an emerging restaurateur. She not only manufactured three flavors, Sweet & Tangy, Lemon Pepper, and Spice It Up!, but also opened multiple storefronts in her native state of Texas.
Business reached new heights during a 2021 appearance on “Shark Tank,” where Crayton brought her fan-favorite sauces to the business investors. During Crayton’s successful pitch, jewelry designer Kendra Scott offered the young entrepreneur and her mom, who helps manage the business, a $100,000 check to launch Sienna Sauce on the shelves of major retailers.
Five years later, the 22-year-old emerging chef has encountered a trademark battle that prevents her from scaling operations. While her newest storefront in Missouri City, Texas, can serve customers, many are unaware of its existence because of the restaurant’s lack of signage.
According to Afrotech, Crayton is currently embroiled in a signage issue with the Sienna Property Owners Association (SPOA), as the Sienna community is located within Missouri City. The young founder must sign a Trademark Coexistence Agreement with community developer Johnson Development, especially as her business’s “Sienna” name could conflict with the developer’s own restaurant, Sienna Grill.
However, Crayton says the current agreement would infringe upon her intellectual property, a move she says “unfairly blocked” her small, Black-owned business. According to KHOU 11, the agreement would also grant Johnson Development “approval rights over any business changes or expansions, including to other cities, states, or countries.”
“They would also be able to control whether we have to ask permission if we want to exit or sell our company,” Crayton said to the news outlet. “Those are fundamental practices that you should be able to do as a business.”
To keep her business’s name and expansion in her control, Crayton refuses to sign the agreement as it stands. The founder already filed a failed appeal with the SPOA, leaving her business and current Shark Tank deal in limbo.
While Johnson Development claims that the agreements seek to protect the Sienna trademark, Crayton has argued otherwise, asserting that the developer’s contract could thwart her business’s growth. Crayton has also called upon her supporters to share their support for Sienna Wings, launching a petition with thousands of signatures from wing-lovers nationwide.
“Signing this petition is important because it supports fair treatment, protects small businesses from undue pressure, and helps ensure Sienna Wings can secure the signage they need to remain visible, accessible, and thriving in our community,” explained the self-proclaimed “Sauce Boss” in the caption.
In the meantime, Crayton and her mother-turned-business partner are trying to bypass this agreement by seeking hearings to revitalize her business.
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