A federal judge has decided that Buffalo Wild Wings can keep calling its dish “boneless wings.” This ruling took place in Illinois and matters because it addresses how food items are named in the restaurant industry.
The decision comes from a lawsuit filed by Aimen Halim in March 2023. He claimed that calling the “boneless wings” chicken nuggets is misleading. However, Judge John Tharp stated that there was not enough evidence to support Halim’s claim. He explained that “boneless wings” is a common term used for over twenty years.
Judge Tharp noted that Halim did not provide strong enough facts to prove that customers were being misled. Despite this, Halim can update his complaint by March 20 to add more details about his experience at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in January 2023. He expected to receive real wings without bones but believed the name should change to “chicken poppers.”
Buffalo Wild Wings has not commented yet on the ruling. The judge also referenced a previous Ohio Supreme Court decision, which stated that customers know “boneless wings” do not come from chicken wings, just as they would not expect “chicken fingers” to be real fingers.
