Customer is suing TGI Fridays after discovering its “mozzarella sticks” are filled with cheddar cheese but DO NOT contain mozzarella
- The customer discovered that mozzarella sticks are only filled with cheddar cheese
- Amy Joseph filed the lawsuit in 2021 against TGI Friday and Inventory Foods
- However, a judge has ruled that the case can only be heard against the snack maker
A customer sued TGI Fridays after ordering mozzarella sticks and finding they were filled only with cheddar cheese.
Amy Joseph filed the lawsuit against the chain in 2021 along with Inventure Foods, snack food maker “Mozzarella Sticks.”
But in a recent twist, federal judge Robert Dow Jr. let TGI Fridays off the hook but allowed the case against Inventory Foods to continue.
The judge agreed with Joseph that the snack’s name is misleading because it doesn’t contain mozzarella cheese, only cheddar.
A customer recently tried to sue TGI Fridays and Inventory Foods after discovering that mozzarella sticks are filled only with cheddar cheese
“While the plaintiff’s complaint makes sweeping allegations about TGIF’s role in the manufacture of the product, the product’s packaging — and the complaint — show that TGI Fridays is merely the licensor of the brand,” Dow wrote Monday, according to USA Today .
Joseph bought the snacks from Amazon, which have the TGI Fridays logo on the package, but upon reading the ingredients on the back, discovered there was no “mozzarella” to be found.
She said she “reasonably” believed the product contained mozzarella, given the name “mozzarella sticks,” even though the label on the back specifically states that the sticks are filled only with cheddar.
But a judge has now ruled the case can only proceed against snack bar maker Mozzarella Sticks, Inventory Foods, which is letting TGI Fridays off the hook
Joseph argues she “reasonably understood that mozzarella sticks, by definition, contain mozzarella cheese,” court documents show.
But the judge said TGI Friday’s licensing of its brand logo on the box wasn’t enough for a class action lawsuit against the diner.
The case now only goes against Inventory Foods, although it is not yet known how much damages are being sought.
“We are pleased with the judge’s verdict. The judge agreed that the claims in the lawsuit were well founded and the case should not be dismissed,” said Joseph’s attorney Thomas Zimmerman Jr.
“We intend to take action against Inventory Foods on behalf of the nationwide constituency of buyers of TGI Fridays mozzarella sticks.”