It Wasn’t a Rock, It Was a Rock Langostino

Lisa Marie Meier of Los Angeles is suing Rubio’s, claiming the fast food chain deceived her when she purchased a $6 lobster burrito that actually contained langostino, a cheaper shrimp-like shellfish. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks class action status on behalf of all consumers who have bought a lobster burrito or lobster taco at Rubio’s.

rock langostinoRay Gallo, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, is passionate about the distinction. “This case isn’t just about bogus menu language that calls a product something it’s not. This is an insult to one of America’s favorite delicacies. Just the idea of a lobster gets seafood lovers salivating. It’s the highest-priced delicacy on many five-star menus. For the fast-food consumer dining at Rubio’s, a meal of lobster would be a real treat — if Rubio’s actually delivered what its burrito’s name leads consumers to expect.”

Rubio’s scrambled to cover their asses by changing its burrito’s name to the “langostino lobster burrito.” Ray Gallo–we all fonzies here?

Ray says no: “To my knowledge, there is no such thing as a ’langostino lobster.’ Have you ever heard of that? Maybe Rubio’s has bred a new species to stuff into its burritos. But I doubt it. The bottom line in my opinion is this: Unless Rubio’s is putting both langostino and lobster in its burrito now, the ’langostino lobster burrito’ is misleadingly labeled, too.”

Since I’ve bought at least one Lobster/Langostino burrito from Rubio’s in my lifetime I’m looking forward to the outcome of this class action suit. A favorable ruling for the plaintiffs could mean a king’s feast of Original Baja-Style Fish Tacos or, fingers crossed, Baja-Style Fish Tacos Especial.