US Judge Allows Buffalo Wild Wings To Keep Using 'Boneless Wings' Name Despite Lawsuit
February 18, 2026
A US judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings over its "boneless wings." Customer Aimen Halim sued in 2023, claiming the restaurant misled customers by selling chicken breast pieces as "boneless wings." He sought about $10 million in damages, arguing this was false advertising under Illinois law. But District Judge John Tharp ruled the claim “has no meat on its bones.” He said "boneless wings" is a common term used for over 20 years and does not confuse reasonable consumers. The judge described the product as “essentially chicken nuggets: pieces of chicken breast meat, deep-fried and tossed in sauce or seasoning.” Judge Tharp noted that “words can have multiple meanings” and gave the example that “buffalo wings” refers to sauce style, not buffalo meat. He also said, "a reasonable consumer would not think that BWW’s boneless wings were truly deboned chicken wings, reconstituted into some sort of Franken-wing." Halim bought boneless wings in January 2023 and filed the suit in March. After the lawsuit was filed, Buffalo Wild Wings posted on social media: “Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken. Our hamburgers contain no ham. Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo.” The judge allowed Halim to amend his complaint by 20 March, but for now, Buffalo Wild Wings can keep using “boneless wings” on their menu. Neither party has commented since the ruling.
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Tags:
Buffalo Wild Wings
Boneless Wings
Lawsuit
False Advertising
Consumer Fraud
Chicken Nuggets
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