Buffalo Wild Wings is being sued by a customer who claims that “boneless wings” are a misnomer. A man named Aimen Halim has filed a lawsuit against the company for deceptive marketing, arguing that the restaurant’s “boneless wings” are not chicken wings with the bones removed, but rather slices of chicken breast meat breaded and fried. Halim calls this false advertising and points out that it could actually be very profitable for the chain.
Halim filed a class-action lawsuit obtained by reporters from TMZ. It claims that Buffalo Wild Wings goes out of its way to market its boneless wings as true wings, unlike other restaurant chains who use careful language with describe their boneless wings. Halim argues that this is not just a pedantic argument – it allows Buffalo Wild Wings to charge more money for boneless wings because of the perceived labor of obtaining and removing the bones from chicken wings, rather than slicing chicken breast meat which customers might believe is much easier.
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Halim is seeking unspecified damages from Buffalo Wild Wings and hoping to see the chain change its product description to “chicken tenders” or “chicken nuggets.” So far, Buffalo Wild Wings has not responded publicly to the lawsuit. The full 22-page complaint can be read here at ClassAction.org in PDF format.
“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 lawsuit reads. Elsewhere, it adds: “It should be noted that Domino’s Pizza and Papa Johns also sell actual chicken wings, and that, a restaurant named Buffalo Wild ‘Wings’ should be just as careful if not more in how it names its products.”
As it is written, the lawsuit would cover all people who bought boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings within the relevant statutory period – a period that may change from state to state. That could mean that anyone with a receipt for these wings would be eligible for compensation if Halim’s lawsuit is successful. So far, the suit does not have a standalone webpage for customers to sign up as some widespread class action lawsuits do.
Halim’s lawsuit was filed in Chicago, Illinois and will be presided over by Judge John J. Tharp Jr. So far, it is not clear when the lawsuit will move forward or what comes next. At the time of this writing, boneless wings are still available at Buffalo Wild Wings.
