Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop respond to Nebraska man's viral plea to denounce term 'boneless wings'
Ander Christensen, who shot to viral fame earlier this week after pleading with his local city council to denounce the term “boneless wings,” has already earned praise from like-minded Americans for his valiant efforts.
Buffalo Wild Wings, however, isn’t biting.
In a statement shared with Fox News, the wing chain confirmed that it “disagrees” with the views Christensen recently shared with his city council in Lincoln, Neb. But they still respect “his passion” — and added that they’re planning to donate to a local charity on his behalf.
RELATED: ‘Living a lie’: Man calls for ‘boneless chicken wings’ to be renamed during city council meeting
“We serve boneless wings – our guests love them and we love them!” reads a statement from Buffalo Wild Wings. “So while we disagree with Ander on his mission, we respect his passion for chicken. So we’re giving him free traditional wings for a year. We’re also going to donate $1 for every boneless wing sold on Labor Day in Lincoln, Neb., to the local Boys & Girls Club.”
Buffalo Wild Wings also tweeted the same sentiments directly to Christensen.
Christensen first brought his concerns to the Lincoln City Council earlier this week, imploring the committee to denounce the term “boneless wings” — in both “our menus and our hearts” — and instead suggested a more accurate name, such as “buffalo-style chicken tenders,” “saucy nugs” or even “trash,” as he stated.
“Lincoln has the opportunity to be a social leader in this county,” Christensen began. “We have been casually ignoring a problem that has gotten so out of control that our children are throwing around names and words without even understanding their true meaning.”
He also argued that since “boneless wings” don’t come from the wing of a chicken, calling the menu item a “wing” is akin to a butcher selling a cut of meat under an inaccurate name.
Video of Christensen’s crusade was later shared to Facebook, where it soon went viral. Since then, he’s garnered support from the Nebraska Barbecue Council as well as Omaha Steaks, the latter of whom wrote that its butchers “stand with” Christensen.
Ander Christensen advocating for 'boneless chicken wings' to be given a new name on Aug. 31, 2020 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Credit: LNKTV City via Storyful)
Wingstop, however, remains a notable holdout.
The wing chain, based in Texas, had jokingly asked Christensen if he wanted “a fight” after his video went viral, and even asked if its own Twitter followers agreed that “boneless wings” should be named “saucy nugs.”
A representative for Wingstop was not immediately available to comment.
Christensen, meanwhile, tells Fox News that he’s not giving up anytime soon.
“In the end, I don't want Saucy Nugs to be removed from restaurants,” he said. “I just want their name to be changed. They aren't wings. I'll go wherever needed to get this changed.”
Alexandra Deabler contributed to this report.
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