Buffalo Wild Wings is at it again. Only a few months after a class action complaint was filed against the chicken wing restaurant, the chain has once again tried to snatch and grab more cash from their paying customers. Takeout bills at Buffalo Wild Wings have been shocking customers in some locations as the chicken wing chain tries to upcharge customers to order food at their establishment.
It has been confirmed as of June 21, 2023, that Buffalo Wild Wings at some locations are charging customers an additional ninety-nine cents as a “test” to see if they could get away with it. But now that the general public has become aware of the Buffalo Wild Wings scheme, the chicken wing chain is closing down this test.
“Several Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants have tested a takeout fee, which is disclosed to guests prior to purchase; however, we are ending the test and will have the fee removed by the end of this summer,” a Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson tells TODAY.com.
Previously, a class action lawsuit filed against the chicken wing chain claimed that they were deceiving customers by charging them a secret takeout fee. The lawsuit claims that the business was conducting “false and deceptive” business practices by charging customers a fee just to order takeout at their restaurants. The lawsuit was filed on July 13, 2022, in the circuit court of Montgomery County, Maryland.
Plaintiff Divane Pittman filed the complaint on her behalf as well as for the “hundreds of thousands of Buffalo Wild Wings customers” that were cheated out of their hard-earned money by the chicken wing chain that allegedly used “misleading” menu prices without properly disclosing the charged fees. Pittman lives in Lanham, Maryland, and was once a loyal Buffalo Wild Wings customer until she realized they were secretly charging her hidden fees when she ordered takeout at the fast-food joint.
“For Buffalo Wild Wings to surreptitiously inflate food prices with a later-added ‘Takeout Service Fee’ is false and deceptive,” reads the class-action complaint. “Buffalo Wild Wings is imposing a stealth price hike in the form of late-added fee, rather than charging a list price that reflects the actual cost to consumers of the food it sells.”
The lawsuit also claims that no other restaurant in the same category “imposes a similar deception on its customers.” Nevertheless, Buffalo Wild Wings charged the takeout fee as a “double-edged deception” to cheat customers out of their money.
The lawsuit seeks class status and restitution for all customers who were charged the extra fee. It also requests they be reimbursed for any additional charges related to the deceptive tactic, such as taxes and fees associated with it. In addition, the lawsuit demands that Buffalo Wild Wings stop using the takeout fee in order to deceive its customers.
Pittman is represented by consumer protection lawyers from Golomb & Honik, P.C., which is a national law firm based out of Philadelphia. The attorneys are specialized in complex litigation, including class action matters concerning consumer fraud and false advertising. They believe the defendant’s deceptive pricing practices could potentially affect millions of customers who have been exposed to the same fraudulent activity.