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Last year, the Texas-based fast food chain, TGI Fridays, found itself in deep waters over a false advertising lawsuit concerning TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks.
Produced under a partnership between TGI Fridays and Inventure Foods, the Mozzarella sticks are supposed to contain some mozzarella cheese, but they contain cheddar cheese instead.
Feeling deceived by the false claims in the package, an Illinois-based resident, Amy Joseph filed a lawsuit against TGI Fridays and Inventure Foods on February 5, 2021. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary compensation from the two companies over deceptive advertising on the TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks package.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois reads:
“Despite its label, the Product does not contain mozzarella cheese; rather, it contains cheddar cheese.”
Joseph further claimed through the lawsuit that the fake promotion is a fraud and a violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices Act:
“The respective state-law claims for consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices in all fifty states and the District of Columbia on behalf of herself and the nationwide class.”
TGI Fridays and Inventure Foods cite shelf life as the reason for using cheddar cheese
It all started when Amy Joseph, an Illinois resident, bought a six-pack of TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks from Amazon for $22.95. She claims that the label on the packets had her believing that the packages contained actual mozzarella sticks, but she soon found it to be a fluke as the said 'Mozzarella Sticks' only contained cheddar cheese.
Feeling cheated by the company, Joseph filed a lawsuit against TGI Fridays and Inventure Foods on the pretext of deceiving customers through fraudulent trade practices.
The concerned product has been licensed by TGI Fridays and produced by Inventure Foods Inc., thus making both companies answerable to the court in the matter.
Over the last few months of the hearings, the companies have tried to maintain the stance that Joseph should be aware that such products cannot contain mozzarella because of the shelf-life of the concerned cheese.
They have continuously argued that TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks are shelf-stable products, and often stay in store for a longer period of time, which does not work very well with mozzarella-based products.
What is the status of the lawsuit against the TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks?
Presiding over the case, Judge Robert Dow Jr. issued a ruling on November 28, stating that the case could go ahead against Inventure Foods as the company was responsible for producing the products.
He further added that TGI Fridays had merely licensed its name for the product and could not be included in the lawsuit any further. So, the TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks lawsuit now stands between plaintiff Amy Joseph and the defendant Inventure Foods Inc.
Declaring the final verdict for the day, Dow stated that it was reasonable "that a product labeled ‘Mozzarella Stick Snacks’ with an image of mozzarella sticks would bear some resemblance to mozzarella sticks, which presumably contain some mozzarella cheese.”
The case has now been adjourned and will be heard next year. Comments and updates from TGI Fridays and Inventure Foods Inc. are yet to come on the matter.
