Buffalo Bills sue Rachel’s Mediterranean Grill over unpaid sponsorship fees

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Bills filed an official complaint against Rachel’s Mediterranean Grill on Tuesday that accuses the chain of failing to pay over $228,000 in sponsorship fees and late fees to the team.

According to the new filing in state supreme court, the Bills and Rachel’s entered into a nearly three-year sponsorship agreement on Aug. 26, 2020 that made Rachel’s an official sponsor of the team.

The agreement allegedly required Rachel’s to pay a $480,000 sponsorship fee as well as additional fees if the team qualified for the NFL playoffs. The Bills qualified for playoffs all three years of the agreement.

In year one, the Bills required additional sponsorship fees of $7,500 each home post season game and $3,750 for each away game. The Bills played three post season games that year, in January 2021, and Rachel’s paid the fee.

Rachel’s allegedly agreed to pay higher fees in year two and year three.

In year two, the Bills charged $8,000 and $4,000 for post season home games and away games respectively. It is alleged that Rachel’s failed to pay $10,000 worth of sponsorship fees by the end of the year, according to the complaint.

The restaurant chain also allegedly failed to pay for two home post season games in year three, adding up to an additional $17,000 in unpaid fees. A late fee of 1.5% per month was incurred.

Rachel’s has been the subject of several recent lawsuits that allege the fast-growing restaurant chain owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to various companies in Western and Central New York.

The complaint filed by the Bills alleges that “since approximately December 2022, Rachel’s has failed and refused to pay any of the amounts due on the invoices sent to it by BB.”

Rachel’s allegedly owes the team $228,675 as of August 2024.

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