The filing includes a demand for a jury trial, damages “in an amount according to proof at trial,” and a request that Taco Bell either correct its “deceptive” practice or stop selling the menu items listed in the suit. Siragusa enclosed photos of the advertised products in the lawsuit, alongside the photos of much leaner products customers allegedly received. Plaintiff Frank Siragusa is represented by James C. Kelly and Anthony J. Russo, Jr.
Why did Taco Bell remove it the first time?
The popular menu item meant to resemble a pizza features seasoned beef and refried beans between two tortilla shells with a “Mexican Pizza sauce,” a three-cheese blend and diced tomatoes. “Meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially,” Siragusa’s attorneys stated in the suit. Siragusa’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Which means, if Siragusa were to win this suit, if someone bought three applicable Vegan Crunchwraps “during the period between July 31, 2020, through the date of the final disposition of this action,” they could be entitled to at least $1,500 in damages. Siragusa’s suit is filed on behalf of anyone who purchased “a Crunchwrap Supreme®, Grande Crunchwrap®, Vegan Crunchwrap®, Mexican Pizza, or Veggie Mexican Pizza, from a Taco Bell, located in the state of New York” since July 31, 2020 and the final action in the case. Lawyers from the firm representing Siragusa have also sued Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Burger King on similar allegations of deceptive marketing practices, according to Reuters.
Taco Bell sued over amount of meat, beans in Mexican pizzas, crunch wraps
In a proposed class action lawsuit, Frank Siragusa accused Taco Bell of deceptive trade practices and said their online ads for their Crunchwrap Supreme, Mexican Pizza, and various menu items did not match the products. The class action suit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, alleges that the fast food chain “materially overstates the amount of beef and/or ingredients” in its ads compared to what is actually offered to customers. The class action complaint cites violations of the New York Deceptive Acts and Practices Act, N.Y. Gen. Bus. On Monday, July 31, 2023, a class action lawsuit was filed against Taco Bell, accusing Taco Bell of falsely advertising the amount of beef and other ingredients in Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, New York City resident Frank Siragusa alleged that Taco Bell’s advertising is “unfair and materially misleading,” claiming that the restaurant company overstates how much “beef and/or ingredients” are in its menu items.
- A New York man has filed a class-action lawsuit against Taco Bell over what he says is too little filling in the chain’s Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas.
- “Meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially,” Siragusa’s attorneys stated in the suit.
- These ads “are unfair and financially damaging to consumers,” the complaint alleges, calling them “especially concerning now that inflation, food and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially.”
Taco Bell sued for false advertising, allegedly skimping on fillings in Mexican Pizzas, wraps
The final straw was when Siragusa purchased a Mexican Pizza at a Taco Bell in Ridgewood, New York, for $5.49 on September 20, 2022, according to the lawsuit. Yum Brands, Taco Bell’s parent company, did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment on the suit. Taco Bell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Tuesday. Taco Bell said it expects to have the item as a permanent addition to its menus this fall. The company said in a FAQ on its website the shortages were “unexpected” and occurred at various locations on a rolling basis. “We’re constantly evaluating ways to provide a more efficient restaurant experience, and have already begun to see progress from streamlining our menu,” said Mike Grams, Taco Bell president and global chief operating officer, in a statement two years ago.
Watch: Every difference between UK and US Taco Bell including portion sizes, calories, and exclusive items
“While we’re currently selling out, for now, we’re working diligently with our restaurants and suppliers to get more back in the hands and stomachs of our biggest fans by this fall,” said the fast food chain in a letter to fans Tuesday. “Taco Bell’s actions are especially concerning now that inflation, food, and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially,” Siragusa’s attorney wrote in the lawsuit. The suit was filed in the Eastern District Court of New York on Monday.
A lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday accuses Taco Bell of falsely advertising how much beef it offers in its popular Crunchwrap and Mexican Pizza menu items. In a Brooklyn federal court Monday, Siragusa accused the chain of false advertising, alleging in the suit that the Mexican Pizza he purchased only contained half of the amount of beans and beef advertised online and in-store. “A portion from the lawsuit suing Taco Bell for false advertising,” a Reddit post said.
Taco Bell cited one restaurant in California which sold more than 1,000 Mexican Pizzas in one day, and an order from a customer which included 180 Mexican Pizzas. Weeks after bringing back the beloved item, Taco Bell said it’s temporarily removing Mexican Pizza from its menu until the fall because of high demand. “The first thing I noticed was how small it looked,” reporter Anthony Russo wrote for the U.S. “Another thing, it wasn’t as beefy as the commercial pictures made it look.”
Attached to the post were photographs that compared two menu items, the Crunchwrap Supreme and Grande Crunchwrap, as advertised with what was allegedly received by customers. Further, the complaint argues that Taco Bell is unfairly competing with other restaurants “that more fairly advertise the size of their menu items. Unfairly diverting millions of dollars in sales that would have gone to competitors.” In support of these claims, the complaint cites an article published by The U.S. Sun, an article published on Mashed.com, and YouTube reviews of Taco Bell’s menu items. According to the complaint, photos of Taco Bell’s menu items that appear in the store and in food delivery apps show “at least double” the amount of meat and vegetables actually contained in its Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas.
The two lawyers filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s and Wendy’s last year alleging that hamburgers sold by the two fast food chains are smaller than advertised. Frank Siragusa of Queens filed the lawsuit in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday. He’s seeking class-action status to include other disappointed Taco Bell customers. The plaintiff, Frank Siragusa, purchased a Mexican Pizza from a location in Ridgewood, New York, on Sept. 20, 2022, that he alleges “contained approximately half of the beef and bean filling that he expected.”
To illustrate the allegations, the complaint also compares what an attorney for Siragusa say is stock footage of Taco Bell’s food with decidedly slimmer examples of actual products the suit said was pulled from Reddit and user reviews. The lawsuit has side-by-side images comparing the Taco Bell advertisements for items such as the Crunchwrap Supreme, Grande Crunchwrap, and Mexican Pizza. Images included in the filing appear to show a paltry serving of meat in what customers allegedly received in store, compared to the images Taco Bell advertises. These claims against Taco Bell are not the first of its kind for Siragusa’s lawyers, James Kelly and Anthony Russo.
A New York man has big beef with Taco Bell and has alleged that the fast-food restaurant skimped customers on beef, beans, and other fixings. The suit specifically refers to Taco Bell’s photography of its own items, which often show artfully arranged sliced tomato and lettuce, evenly distributed dollops of sour cream or cheese sauce and heaps of ground meat with nary a crumble spilled from it. The lawsuit includes multiple side-by-side photos comparing Taco Bell’s advertisements with what the food actually looks like. In its letter to fans, Taco Bell said demand for the Mexican Pizza was seven times what it was the last time they offered it.
It included side-by-side photos of Taco Bell’s ads for their Crunchwrap Supreme, Vegan Crunchwrap, Grande Crunchwrap, Mexican Pizza, and Veggie Mexican Pizza, next to what he and other customers said were actual photos of the items — illustrating a stark difference. Siragusa isn’t the first unhappy restaurant customer to call attention to this supposed discrepancy — the complaint links to a YouTube review, Reddit thread and new articles that bemoan the alleged lack of meat in Taco Bell’s menu items. These ads “are unfair and financially damaging to consumers,” the complaint alleges, calling them “especially concerning now that inflation, food and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially.” On July 31, 2023, posts began to spread on social media platforms that claimed to show pictures from a lawsuit against Taco Bell for alleged false advertising. A longtime staple on Taco Bell’s menu, Mexican Pizza was among several items pulled in 2020 as the restaurant looked to streamline the foods it offered.
“If Plaintiff knew that the Mexican Pizza contained half of the amount of beef and bean filling as advertised, he would not have purchased the Mexican Pizza and/or he would not have paid the $5.49 price that he paid for the Mexican Pizza,” his attorney wrote in the lawsuit. Siragusa “expected the Mexican Pizza that he purchased to contain a similar amount of beef and bean filling as contained in the pictures of the Mexican pizza in Taco Bell’s advertisements,” according to the lawsuit. Other popular Taco Bell menu items such as the Crunchwrap Supreme, Grande Crunchwrap and Veggie Mexican Pizza have also overstated the amount of filling in advertisements by”at least double the amount,” the lawsuit claims. The photos online of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza last September reeled in New York resident Frank Siragusa. But the $5.49 fast food treat he wound up with has now prompted him to launch a class-action suit against the taco chain. A New York man is suing Taco Bell for false advertising, saying that the California-based company isn’t making many of its menu items the way they’re pictured in advertisements.
The pair have previously filed lawsuits against fast food restaurants practicing false advertising, including a recent lawsuit against Burger King for overstating the size of their Whoppers. “If Plaintiff knew that the Mexican Pizza contained half of the amount of beef and bean filling as advertised, he would not have purchased the Mexican Pizza and/or he would not have paid the $5.49 price that he paid for the Mexican Pizza,” the suit reads. Siragusa is seeking $5 million for customers who purchased Taco Bell menu items affected by false advertising practices.
A Taco Bell diner is beefing with the fast-food chain, claiming its false advertising led him to buy a pizza that turned out to be very short on meat. In this suit, all of the items mentioned feature either Taco Bell’s seasoned beef or vegan seasoned beef along with a range of fillings and/or toppings, cheese, vegetables and sauces, which are referred to as “Overstated Menu Items” in the suit. A New York man has filed a class-action lawsuit against Taco Bell over what he says is too little filling in the chain’s Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas. “Taco Bell’s actions are especially concerning now that inflation, food, and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially,” the lawsuit states.
1) monetary damages fully compensating all individuals who purchased an Overstated Menu Item; 2) injunctive relief requiring Taco Bell to provide corrected advertising and/or to stop selling the Overstated Menu Items; and 3) such other relief as the Court deems necessary and appropriate. Siragusa said the company was advertising products with double the beef at a time when meat prices were steep. The suit contains images of both Taco Bell’s advertisements for each item next to a photo that purports to show an “actual item provided to customers,” which appear to have smaller portions of beef and toppings.
Siragusa wants Taco Bell to end its “unfair and materially misleading advertising,” and pay monetary damages to customers who have bought its Mexican pizzas and three types of crunch wraps. “Taco Bell’s promise to consumers of a large portion of food with their purchase are also causing consumers to come to, or order from, Taco Bell’s restaurants and make purchases that they would not have otherwise made,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit hopes to recoup at least $5 million for New York customers who have eaten any of the five items listed in the lawsuit at Taco Bell within the last three years.