Less than one day after going public with his intentions to take “tendernism” worldwide, Walter Johnson officially has the one thing many thought was deserved to him from the jump: the trademark for “tendernism.”
In a video uploaded to Instagram on Tuesday (Mar. 4), Johnson was joined by Kenneth Harris, the man who had previously filed two trademarks for “tendernism” in November 2025 on an intent-to-use (ITU) basis. Harris did not have any lawful use of the mark in commerce, which led to his meeting with Johnson.
“Things have been happening, God is good,” Johnson told Harris. “It wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you. And now look at it. A long time coming.”
Harris thanked Johnson, calling him an inspiration to the community, and said it was an “honor” to begin the process of transferring the trademark to him.
“You deserve it, you created it,” Harris said.
In the video’s caption, Johnson told his 230,000-plus Instagram followers how much the moment meant to him.
“Family… this moment means a lot to me,” he began. “We started the process of bringing the Tendernism trademark home where it belongs. God is good and I appreciate every one of y’all that’s been supporting this journey. Booyah.”
Johnson set up a GoFundMe page following his departure from Destination Smokehouse, raising more than $50,000. While the page alleges that Johnson was fired from the restaurant, Destination Smokehouse’s Nick Yepremian addressed those claims in a video on Instagram, saying, “Walter was never asked to leave. The application to register the trademark for tendernism was not filed without his knowledge. Walter was an early source of inspiration for me, and Tendernism was not filed without his knowledge.”
He added, “Walter was an early source of inspiration for me and I’ve always been grateful for that. We’ve shared so many genuine moments together, talking about barbecue and bonding over the craft that we both love. These moments were filled with camaraderie and mutual respect. I’m proud of Walter for having the courage to go after his own dreams. It takes heart. I respect anyone who chooses to build something of their own, and I wish him nothing but the best.”
