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Is it lawful to call boneless chicken wings ‘wings’? According to a U.S. District Judge, yes. On Tuesday in Illinois, Judge John Tharp reached a verdict in a case brought against Buffalo Wild Wings alleging that the wings aren’t wings and shouldn’t be referred to as such on the restaurant chain’s menu. The suit, which was first brought by customer Aimen Halim in March 2023, claimed the business had violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act by referring to the product as “boneless wings” instead of something the plaintiff deemed more fitting, such as “chicken nuggets. In the end, the judge didn’t feel the case had any bones. In a 10-page ruling, Tharp wrote, Boneless wings are not a niche product for which a consumer would need to do extensive research to figure out the truth. Instead, ‘boneless wings’ is a common term that has existed for over two decades.” Tharp continued, asserting that the plaintiff didn’t have enough solid evidence to prove Buffalo Wild Wings was at fault. Halim did not ‘drum’ up enough factual allegations to state a claim. Though he has standing to bring the claim because he plausibly alleged economic injury, he does not plausibly allege that reasonable consumers are fooled by Buffalo Wild Wings’ use of the term ‘boneless wings.'” The judge also cited a 2024 Supreme Court case, which also involved boneless wings at a different establishment in Ohio. In that case, the plaintiff was allegedly injured by a bone from a so-called “boneless wing” getting lodged in his throat. However, the court ruled that under Ohio law, a reasonable consumer could have reasonably anticipated and guarded against the bone at issue”, regardless of it being called “boneless.” Judge Tharp wrote, “As the Ohio Supreme Court recently put it, ‘[a] diner reading boneless wings on a menu would no more believe that the restaurant was warranting the absence of bones in the items than believe that the items were made from chicken wings, just as a person eating chicken fingers would know that he had not been served fingers.” Now, Buffalo Wild Wings is celebrating the case’s dismissal. In a social media post, the chain wrote, “Theyre called boneless wings and will forever be called boneless wings. Celebrate the courts decision today with BOGO FREE boneless wings.” According to the chain’s website, the BOGO deal happens every Thursday. Regardless of the fact that the lawsuit has been tossed, the conversation about whether boneless wings are wings is still popping off. Commenters on Buffalo Wild Wing’s celebratory post ranged from pure disgust with the verdict to fierce defense of both the chain and of boneless wings. “This makes me never want to go to BWW,” one user wrote. “They arent ‘Buffalo wings’, theyre just wings AND your ‘boneless wings’ are chicken tenders. Cmon man.” Others called the wings “grown up chicken nuggets” or simply vented that the chain’s wings are subpar in general. On the contrary, some commenters expressed their enthusiasm for the menu item. “Boneless wings are the only wings that should be consumed,” wrote another X user on the post. While the judge made his ruling, he also said that the plaintiff can amend his initial complaint by March 20. Halim will have the opportunity to “provide additional facts about his experience that would demonstrate that BWW is committing a deceptive act.”
Category:
E-Commerce
Walgreens will lay off hundreds of employees as the pharmacy chain continues to struggle with increased competition and higher-than-desired costs. On top of this, the newly private company is expected to close at least another few dozen retail stores in 2026. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? Walgreens has announced that it will cut at least 628 jobs across two states, according to communications it sent to the states in question earlier this month. A Walgreens spokesperson confirmed the layoffs with Fast Company when reached for comment. News of the layoffs was first reported by Bloomberg. The job cuts include 469 positions in the companys home state of Illinois and 159 jobs in Texas, where the company is shuttering a distribution center. Were focused on becoming Americas best retail pharmacy, beginning with improving the instore experience for our customers and patients,” Walgreens said in a statement to Fast Company. “To do this, weve made the difficult decision to simplify our organization in both the support center and with our field leadership to speed decision making and improve the service that millions of customers rely on every day.” “We have deep respect for our colleagues and greatly appreciate their contributions and are committed to supporting them throughout this transition,” the spokesperson added. Walgreens has been closing stores In addition to the layoffs, Walgreens also reportedly confirmed that it will be closing dozens of stores in 2026. While no exact numbers were given, Bloomberg says the pharmacy chain confirmed that the number of closing locations would be fewer than 100, which is less than previously planned. Walgreens said in 2024 that it had targeted 1,200 stores for closure by 2027. Walgreens will also reportedly open four new locations this year. Pharmacy chains have struggled in recent years Last August, Walgreens went private when the private equity firm Sycamore Partners purchased the company for roughly $10 billion. The move marked the end of the iconic pharmacy chains nearly century-long reign as a publicly traded company. For years before the deal, Walgreens, like other pharmacy chains, had struggled with increased online competition from the likes of Amazon and falling foot traffic that was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Pharmacy chains have also struggled with rising costs and increasing debts. These factors contributed to competitor Rite Aids bankruptcy in 2025 and led to a wave of pharmacy layoffs over the past few years, including at CVS. According to the company’s website, Walgreens currently has around 8,000 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico and employs around 211,000 workers.
Category:
E-Commerce
The worst days of the pandemic are long behind us, but the world is still reeling from its aftereffects. For some people, this has driven a dramatic reprioritizing of whats important in their lives, including where they work and the kind of energy theyre prepared to give to the company that employs them. According to a new survey, one result of the pandemic aftershocks in the workforce is a sharp rise in how much people want to take time off to travel. Younger Americans are so keen to vacation, in fact, that theyre putting off big life decisions and even going into debt. Not only could this shift in priorities affect your business if youre trying to attract young customers, but it may change how you think about your own staffs working hours. The data comes from a new survey of a thousand Americans by financial services company Empower, Fortune reports. Headline numbers from the report are that over 90 percent of people are planning domestic travel this year. Plus 33 percent have said theyre not going to wait until retirement to see the worldtheyre doing it now, instead. And when it comes to money, 47 percent of people said they would spend more on travel this year than last. Even more strikingly, one in five Millennial workers are postponing plans for big purchases, like a home, and will spend the money on travel instead. While the vast majority of workers, 61 percent, said they plan to travel in the summer, 34 percent said they will travel in out-of-season time, and 24 percent said theyd travel for birthdaysthese last are both types of trip that are likely to impact their regular work schedule, since they dont revolve around typical vacation times. In particular, Gen-Z staff, at 28 percent, said they were more likely than older generations to travel for their birthdays, and a quarter of Gen-Z staff liked to plan their trips four weeks or less ahead of timemeaning theyre more likely to spontaneously ask for time off than older employees. Fortune quotes Christie Hudson, head of public relations at online travel firm Expedia, who says that a significant share of respondents to a similar, recent Expedia survey plan to travel no matter what this year. In terms of attitude and valuing experiences over things, that whole mentality, people seem very aligned in the post-pandemic era, she said. This news is playing out as many people continue to feel considerable economic stress thanks to inflation, and amid an epidemic of quiet vacationingremote workers just continuing to work as if theyre at home, but taking a trip without telling their employer, simply because they dont want to seem like theyre slacking, or cant afford to take time off. More vacation time and more flexible vacation policy may be anathema to many more traditional U.S. employersthe kind rattling their sabers with strict back-to-office rules because they think staff labor is proved by their grinding away for long hours right where they can see them. But Empowers data shows more employeesof all agesare planning vacations. Younger workers (who already dislike the grind of the traditional workplace) arent shy about showing they want to travel more spontaneously and even postpone big life plans to do so. To attract and retain them, it might be worth reevaluating your companys PTO policy. An Ernst & Young study shows why this could be a good idea: For each extra 10 hours of vacation time an employee took, their year-end performance jumped 8 percent. Another survey showed that if a staff member takes all their vacation time, theyre actually boosting their chances of getting a raise or promotion. Plus if you want to attract new younger workers, advertising your more generous vacation policyincluding, perhaps, relaxed summer work hoursmay actually help you recruit or retain Gen-Z staff. Something to think about as you relax and watch the fireworks this upcoming long weekend. Kit Eaton This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister site, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Category:
E-Commerce
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