A new lawsuit claims that boneless chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings should be marketed as chicken nuggets, not wings.
The plaintiff, Aimen Halim, assumed that the boneless wings he purchased in January 2023 were exclusively made from chicken wing meat. If he’d known differently, he wouldn’t have purchased them, according to the court documents.
Harim filed a class action complaint that accused Buffalo Wild Wings and its parent company Inspire Brands of false and deceptive marketing in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois on March 10.
“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. 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 said.
Two of Buffalo Wild Wings’ competitors, Domino’s and Papa Johns, sell similar products that have clearer marketing. Instead of using the term boneless wings, the products are sold as boneless chicken and buffalo chicken poppers, respectively, according to the filing.
In addition, the court documents claim that “the practice of selling boneless ‘wings’ that aren’t actually wings grew out of the rising costs for actual chicken wings, and the decreasing cost for chicken breast.”
The plaintiff is seeking damages, injunctive relief, restitution, declaratory relief and all other remedies the Court deems appropriate.
Do boneless chicken wings need a new name?
Now, if the lawsuit sounds sort of silly, that’s because it is.
However, the conversation around the right name for boneless wings has been ongoing for years.
In 2020, a Nebraska man, Ander Chistensen, went viral after he petitioned the local city council to rename boneless chicken wings. His naming suggestion? Saucy nugs.
Regardless of the name, boneless chicken wings are a tasty addition to any menu, in this writer’s opinion.
