Customer attempts to ‘hit the lottery’ by drowning Buffalo Wild Wing’s ‘boneless wings’ in an existential crisis

A Chicago man’s lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings over the nature of “boneless wings” has been rejected by an Illinois judge. U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. issued a ruling stating that the restaurant chain’s use of the term “boneless wings” is not deceptive marketing.

Aimen Halim initially filed his lawsuit back in March 2023, challenging what he called “the false and deceptive marketing and advertising of Buffalo Wild Wings’ Boneless Wings.” He argued that the product name misleads customers into thinking they are getting de-boned chicken wing meat, when in reality, they are made from fried chicken breast meat. 

Halim claimed he bought a serving of these boneless wings and wouldn’t have done so if he’d known they weren’t actual wing meat. According to UPI, Buffalo Wild Wings wasn’t quiet about the lawsuit when it first broke. They took to X with a pretty sassy response. The company tweeted, “It’s true. Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken. Our hambugers contain no ham. Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo.” 

Halim clearly has too much time on his hands

Judge Tharp Jr. backed up that sentiment in his ruling, explaining why he rejected Halim’s claim. The judge pointed out that “boneless wings” isn’t some obscure product you need to research extensively to understand. Instead, it’s a really common term that’s been around for over two decades. It’s like saying “hot dog” doesn’t contain dog, or “chicken fingers” aren’t actual chicken digits. 

In his ruling, Judge Tharp Jr. stated, “Despite his best efforts, Halim did not ‘drum’ up enough factual allegations to state a claim.” While Halim does have the standing to bring the claim because he plausibly alleged an economic injury, the judge just didn’t see enough to prove that reasonable consumers are being misled by the term. It sounds like the court believes most people know what they’re ordering when they ask for boneless wings.

Interestingly, the judge did give Halim a chance to modify and refile his claim by March 20, 2026. However, Judge Tharp Jr. also expressed some skepticism, stating, “Although it is difficult to imagine that Halim can provide additional facts about his experience that would demonstrate that BWW is committing a deceptive act by calling its nuggets ‘boneless wings,’ but the Court will give him leave to try.” 

After the ruling, Buffalo Wild Wings celebrated their win on X, saying, “They’re called boneless wings and will forever be called boneless wings.” It seems pretty clear they’re sticking to their guns, and for now, the court agrees with them. It’s a win for common sense, in my opinion.

While the judge struck down Halim’s claim, Costco isn’t as lucky and is currently facing its second lawsuit over its rotisserie chicken. It is actually pretty common for companies to get hit with lawsuits over their products and marketing, so Halim just didn’t find a good enough claim with sufficient evidence.