LIVE | Food Court - KitKat Heist. What's a wing?? Are Lay's Potato Chips, Potato?

A plaintiff sued Buffalo Wild Wings, alleging deception because their 'boneless wings' are made from chicken breast meat, not deboned chicken wings. The plaintiff, a serial litigant with 14+ similar lawsuits, claimed confusion and economic harm, stating they would have paid less or not purchased the product if they knew the truth.

The federal judge, John J. Tharp Jr., opened his memorandum opinion with 'What's in a name? If we call a wing by any other name, would it smell as sweet?' (16:52). He further stated the 'complaint has no meat on its bones' (21:55). The judge initially dismissed the claim, finding a reasonable consumer would not be deceived, citing the absurdity of applying the same logic to 'cauliflower wings' (1:13:41). However, the plaintiff refiled with a survey showing 43% of Illinois consumers believed the product contained only wing meat (1:27:30).

Lay's Potato Chips undertook its biggest rebranding in nearly a century, redesigning packaging and recipes. This significant change was driven by a disturbing survey finding that a large percentage of consumers did not know their potato chips were made from actual potatoes.

A 2021 survey revealed that 42% of consumers were unaware that Lay's chips were made from spuds (2:35:42). The new bags prominently feature photos of potatoes and the phrase 'made with real potatoes' (2:31:37).

A real-world theft of 12 metric tons (over 400,000 units) of limited-edition Formula 1 car-shaped Kit Kat bars occurred in Italy. Thieves, posing as law enforcement, intercepted a truck en route to Poland. This event quickly became a social media phenomenon, prompting Kit Kat to pivot its marketing strategy.

Kit Kat confirmed the theft of 12 tons of F1-shaped Kit Kats, valued at over 400,000 units, on March 26th (2:47:35). The driver was restrained, and the truck vanished (2:55:31). Nestle launched a 'stolen Kit Kat tracker' on its website, allowing consumers to check batch codes (3:03:03). Numerous brands, including IKEA, PayPal, Domino's, and Denny's, engaged with the story on social media, creating memes and promotional content (2:48:33, 3:14:20, 3:32:51). Kit Kat explicitly stated the heist was 'not a stunt or an April Fool's joke' (3:02:41).

The episode references a famous pop culture moment involving Jessica Simpson and 'Chicken of the Sea' tuna to illustrate how brand names can genuinely confuse consumers, even when product labels are clear.

Jessica Simpson, on her reality show 'Newlyweds,' famously questioned whether 'Chicken of the Sea' tuna was chicken or fish, despite the can clearly stating 'tuna' (2:41:08). This moment highlights the potential for misunderstanding based on brand naming conventions.