Buffalo Wild Wings is facing a class-action lawsuit over its so-called “boneless wings.”
According to the complaint, which was filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, the fast-food chain has knowingly deceived customers by presenting the fare as de-boned chicken wings, when in reality, the item is simply “slices of chicken breast meat deep-fried like wings.” The plaintiff, Chicago resident Aimen Halim, says the “boneless wings” are more akin to chicken nuggets, unbeknownst to Buffalo Wild Wing customers.
“This clear-cut case of false advertising should not be permitted, as consumers should be able to rely on the plain meaning of a product’s name and receive what they are promised,” the suit read. “… Surely, if Buffalo Wild Wings was being transparent with its customers, it could readily change the name of the Products (e.g., ‘boneless chicken’), or disclose on its menu that the Products are actually made of chicken breast meat. Indeed, several of Buffalo Wild Wings’ competitors are careful to name their products ‘Boneless Chicken’ or ‘Chicken poppers,’ rather than ‘Boneless Wings,’ to prevent consumers from being misled.”
The complaint goes on to highlight companies like Domino’s Pizza and Papa Johns, which informs customers that its bite-size chicken offerings are not deboned wings. The former lists the item as “Boneless Chicken,” while the latter refers to it as “Chicken Poppers.”
Halim argues Buffalo Wild Wings is using the “wings” label as a way to charge more for an otherwise cheaper product. He says customers “would have paid less for them, or would not have purchased them at all” had they known the boneless “wings” were not wings at all.
The plaintiff is seeking damages, injunctive relief, restitution, declaratory relief, and all other remedies the Court deems appropriate.
Buffalo Wild Wings has yet to respond to the complaint.
