- A New York man sued Taco Bell because he was fed up with the fast-food company's portion sizes.
- In a proposed class-action lawsuit, Frank Siragusa alleged that Taco Bell's adverts were deceptive.
- He said the Crunchwrap Supreme, Mexican Pizza, and other items had half as much beef as promised.
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.
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 suit was filed in the Eastern District Court of New York on Monday. 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 said the company was advertising products with double the beef at a time when meat prices were steep.
"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.
Taco Bell did not immediately return a request for comment.
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.
In April 2022, Taco Bell brought back the Mexican Pizza because of customer fanfare — but was already running out of the item by June.
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.
"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.
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.
Siragusa's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
