The debate is over!
A lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings and its boneless wings has been dismissed after a judge ruled it had “no meat on its bones.” The proposed class action lawsuit was brought in 2023 by customer Aimen Halim, who claimed the restaurant deceived customers by selling “boneless wings” that were not actually de-boned chicken wings.
Halim alleged in the saucy complaint that the menu item was “essentially a chicken nugget.”
However, Judge John Tharp Jr. in Chicago tossed the suit Tuesday, noting in his ruling that Halim sued Buffalo Wild Wings “over his confusion, but his complaint has no meat on its bones.”
“Despite his best efforts, Halim did not ‘drum’ up enough factual allegations to state a claim,” the judge added.
The judge also noted that “words can have multiple meanings” and that “buffalo wing” refers to the type of sauce on the wing, according to ABC 7.
The lawsuit stems from Halim’s 2023 visit to his local Buffalo Wild Wings, when his meal failed to “meat” his expectations.
“Unbeknownst to Plaintiff and other consumers, the Products are not wings at all, but instead, slices of chicken breast meat deep-fried like wings. Indeed, the Products are more akin, in composition, to a chicken nugget rather than a chicken wing,” Halim argued in the lawsuit.
He didn’t just “wing it” with the suit. Halim alleged that the marketing and advertising of Buffalo Wild Wings’ “boneless wings” was false and duped customers in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, among other claims.
However, Buffalo Wild Wings argued that the Seventh Circuit had recognized that many “literally false statements are not deceptive.” The restaurant chain also pointed to another wing alternative it offers: A Cauliflower wing.
“A reasonable consumer would not think that BWW’s boneless wings were truly deboned chicken wings, reconstituted into some sort of Franken-wing,” the judge wrote.
“If Halim is right, reasonable consumers should think that cauliflower wings are made (at least in part) from wing meat. They don’t, though,” he added.
Despite granting the chain’s request to dismiss the case, Tharp gave Halim until March 20 to amend his lawsuit to present any additional facts that would allow the case to go ahead.
