Rachel’s Mediterranean Grill is being sued by the Buffalo Bills for unpaid sponsorship costs

Buffalo, New York – The chain restaurant Rachel’s Mediterranean Grill is accused by the Buffalo Bills of not paying the organization over $228,000 in late fines and sponsorship costs, according to an official lawsuit the team filed on Tuesday.

The Bills and Rachel’s officially became the team’s sponsor on August 26, 2020, when they signed a nearly three-year sponsorship arrangement, according to a recent filing with the state supreme court.

Rachel was purportedly compelled by the deal to pay a $480,000 sponsorship fee in addition to further expenses in the event that the club made it to the NFL playoffs. For all three of the contract’s years, the Bills were eligible for the playoffs.

The Bills demanded extra sponsorship payments in year one, $3,750 for each away postseason game and $7,500 for each home game. In January 2021, the Bills participated in three postseason games, and Rachel’s covered the ticket price.

In years two and three, Rachel is said to have consented to pay increased costs.

The Bills charged $8,000 and $4,000 for home and away postseason games in the second year. According to the complaint, Rachel is accused of neglecting to pay $10,000 in sponsorship fees by the end of the year.

In year three, the restaurant business is also accused of not paying for two home postseason games, totaling an additional $17,000 in unpaid costs. There was a 1.5% monthly late fee.

A number of recent lawsuits have targeted Rachel’s, claiming the rapidly expanding restaurant franchise owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to multiple Western and Central New York businesses.

“Since roughly December 2022, Rachel’s has failed and refused to pay any of the amounts due on the invoices sent to it by BB,” according to the Bills’ complaint.

As of August 2024, Rachel purportedly owed the squad $228,675.