Latest news with #Fieri
NBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Man sues Guy Fieri's company over alleged contract breach
A man who was promised the "chance of a lifetime" by Guy Fieri filed a lawsuit against the celebrity chef's company, alleging that it failed to live up to the claim from a reality competition show that said the winner would get their own franchise of Fieri's Chicken Guy! restaurant 4, 2025
NBC News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Guy Fieri reality show winner files lawsuit alleging breach of contract over Chicken Guy! franchise
A man who was promised the "chance of a lifetime" from Guy Fieri filed a lawsuit against the celebrity chef, alleging that the Food Network star's company failed to live up to the offer he gave to the winner of his reality show. Kevin Cooper won "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime" in 2022, a reality competition show that promised the winner their franchise of Fieri's Chicken Guy! restaurant chain. Cooper, however, alleges Fieri's company breached a contract in a complaint filed last week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Fieri is not personally a defendant in the lawsuit, but his company, Chicken Guy, as well as the company of his business partner. A representative for Fieri did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The "King of Flavortown" told contestants in the show's finale that one of them would earn the key to the franchise with a "full restaurant build out." Fieri also promised other perks, including a first year's salary and start-up capital. Cooper's franchise opened in February 2024 and closed roughly a year later. The lawsuit alleges that the two companies behind the chicken brand failed to provide the promised $100,000 salary and failed to cover more than $68,000 worth of expenses related to the franchise. The contest winner alleges that he had to take out a personal loan of $13,500 to cover some of the cost due to Fieri's delay, according to the lawsuit. Cooper's lawsuit requests full payment of the promised salary and reimbursement of the expenses. "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime" originally aired on Food Network in late 2021 and early 2022, with only six episodes. In the finale, Fieri announces Cooper as the first-place winner but promises to waive franchise fees for all the other contestants if they choose to open up a Chicken Guy! location of their own. Fieri told Cooper that he showed "so much strength" throughout the competition and promised to open Cooper's franchise in Cooper's hometown of Philadelphia. Cooper was in tears after winning the grand prize. "This is crazy right now, I can't even believe it," Cooper said. "But I really came here and fought the hardest fight I could possibly fight. And I'm just happy, I'm grateful, and I'm thankful. And I'm just lost for words."
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy! restaurant sued by winner of chef's game show
Chicken Guy!, the restaurant of celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri, is being sued by the former winner of the "Guy's Chance Of A Lifetime" reality game show competition over breach of contract, according to federal court records. Philadelphia-based chef Kevin Cooper filed the lawsuit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday, June 27, against Fieri's brand, Chicken Guy LLC, and Earl Enterprises, LLC, owned by Fieri's business partner and Planet Hollywood CEO and founder, Robert Earl. After being declared the winner of the show in February 2022, Cooper alleges the "enforceable contract" he entered, which included a guaranteed $100,000 first-year salary and a Chicken Guy! franchise, was breached by Fieri's and Earl's companies, the complaint obtained by USA TODAY reads. In addition to the six-figure first-year salary and franchise, Cooper was supposed to receive a build of of the space for the franchise, operational expenses if they exceed the revenue of the franchise in the first year, a waiver of franchise fees and a $10,000 stipend for legal fees for the franchise, according to complaint. Cooper is requesting a $100,000 judgment for guaranteed minimum salary and a court order requiring Fieri's and Earl's companies to pay $68,933.26 in expenses. USA TODAY contacted Chicken Guy! and Fieri's reps on Wednesday, July 2, but has not received a response. Chicken Guy!: The restaurant and its origins According to the Chicken Guy! website, the restaurant was "hatched from the minds" of Fieri and Earl in 2018, with both men having the vision to "take crispy, juicy chicken, elevate it with bold brines and fresh herbs, and pair it with a wide range of signature sauces." "Together, (Fieri and Earl) created a dining experience that brings big-time flavor, saucy personality, and chicken done right to the fast-casual scene," according to the website. "And that's how the Chicken Guy! Story began—one crave-worthy tender at a time." The first Chicken Guy! location opened at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. Since then, the restaurant has expanded to 19 locations in cities and states across the U.S., with "new locations joining the flock each year," the company's website says. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Food Network star Guy Fieri loves Florida but sold one of his homes in Palm Beach County
Florida is a favorite of celebrity chef Guy Fieri with dozens of restaurants statewide featured on his Food Network show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." But does Palm Beach County hold a special place in the spikey blonde's heart over other Sunshine State locations? Maybe. In 2022, the Mayor of Flavortown donated donated $20,000 to Lake Worth Community High School's culinary academy. More recently, Fieri fed Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office employees from his new East Coast Disaster Relief Trailer in April. And in November his foundation joined Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar in Boca Raton to raise money for hospitality workers affected by 2024 hurricanes. Fieri has also bought and sold real estate in two Palm Beach County cities, including a sale this year of a waterfront home in Lake Worth Beach. Guy Fieri, whose birth name is Guy Ramsay Ferry, bought a waterfront home in March 2021 for a recorded $3.9 million in Lake Worth Beach, which is just south of West Palm Beach. The 7,400-square-foot home is in an exclusive seven-home gated community where one of his neighbors was Olympia Bishop, sister to actress Brook Shields. Two years after the purchase in Lake Worth Beach, Fieri bought a second home on Singer Island in Riviera Beach. The $7.3 million Mediterranean-style house is on a coveted corner lot on Singer Island in Riviera Beach less than 2 miles from the Lake Worth Inlet, also called the Palm Beach Inlet. The buyer in official Palm Beach County records on both homes was a limited liability company called Gus Ritchie 1 — a possible play on the names Gus Ferrari and Guy Ritchie, which Fieri has said fans have called him by mistake. More: Flavortown returns: Guy Fieri's 'DDD' Food Network series features 4 Palm Beach County restaurants Fieri put his Lake Worth Beach home on the market in September 2023. The list price for the 6,000-square-foot home was $8.75 million. That price was slashed several times before it sold in January for $7 million. While that's nearly double what Fieri paid for the home, it's $1.75 million less than what he hoped to get for it. The price drop wasn't unusual as the housing market has cooled from its rocket ship ascent during the pandemic. About 28% of Palm Beach County single-family homes were forced to drop prices in January 2025, according to the online brokerage firm Redfin. That increased to 30% in April.. The buyers of the 24-year-old house were Las Vegas restauranteurs Frank Bonanno and his wife, Betty Pellegrino Bonanno, according to Palm Beach County official records. Frank Bonanno is president of Fifth Avenue Restaurant Group. His first forays into the culinary industry included the 1976 creation of the Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Co., which eventually was sold to the Mrs. Fields cookie empire. Fifth Avenue operates more than 40 restaurants in the Las Vegas area, according to its website. Fieri still owns the property he purchased on Singer Island in Riviera Beach. The nearly 10,000-square-foot waterfront property has room for a 100-foot-yacht. The Singer Island home is not in a gated community but is located on the dead-end street Coral Way. It has 230 feet of water frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway and a canal. Built in 2008, it has a total of 9,870 square feet with 6,620 under air conditioning. There is a three-car garage, a large pool, summer kitchen, five bedrooms, hand-carved coral stone fireplaces and pecky cypress ceilings. More: Sneak peek inside Guy Fieri's new waterfront home on Singer Island near West Palm Beach Whether Fieri kept the furniture, which included a smothering of leather and heavy dark wood pieces, is unknown but sources familiar with the sale said at the time that the chef visited the home more than once and would likely undertake a hefty remodel. Prior to Fieri buying the home in 2023 for $7.3 million, it had last sold in June 2022 for $7.9 million. The property is not homesteaded, which is a designation that caps property tax increases if the owner registers the home as their primary residence. It's unknown if Guy Fieri plans to move to Florida permanently. He told the Bradenton Herald in 2021 that his family would stay in Northern California at least until his youngest son Ryder finishes high school. Ryder Fieri graduated high school in 2024. Guy Fieri and his wife Lori moved Ryder into his dormitory at San Diego State University in August of that year, according to People. Fieri's older son, Hunter Fieri, graduated with a master's degree in business administration from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@ Help support our local journalism, subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Food Network chef Guy Fieri sells Florida home near West Palm Beach
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fans Support Guy Fieri After Emotional Family Update: "I Could Not Be More Proud"
Guy Fieri is a family man through and through. Just last week, he celebrated his oldest son Hunter's business school graduation and gushed over his boys on Instagram, writing, "I have so many blessings in my life, but the biggest and most important always revolve around my family." Now, he has yet another one of those blessings to commemorate: His nephew Jules' new law diploma. "I could not be more proud of my nephew, @jfieri," he wrote on social media. "He has worked full time as an agent in the music industry while attending law school at night for the last 2 years. Wow!" "Hard work, dedication, perseverance, and determination are just a few words that represent my amazing nephew," Fieri added, along with a heartfelt "congratulations." Jules quickly took to the comment section to thank his famous uncle. "Only possible with the amazing support system of our family," he wrote back. "Thank you for pushing me to be my best ❤️."Fans and celebs alike chimed in with congrats. "Congrats to Jules and the family!! #Ittakesavillage❤️," one person wrote. "Congratulations Jules! Loved letting us in on a piece of your life! We've enjoyed watching him grow up!!" another chimed in."Let's go!! Massive congrats, my brother! @jfieri you've poured your heart into the grind, and it's inspiring to see it all pay off," a third person added. "You fully deserve everything that's ahead. Can't wait to see where this next chapter takes you!"Even Fieri's Santos Spirits partner Sammy Hagar jumped in the comment section. "👏👏👏👏👏 now put that young man to work the way you do your boys 🥂🥂🥂🥂🤙," he wrote. ICYMI, Fieri and Jules share more than just a typical uncle-nephew relationship. The Food Network star raised him as his own after his sister, Jules' mother, passed away from melanoma in 2011. The duo even got matching tattoos during the short-lived series, Guy! Hawaii Style. In the episode, Fieri opened up about his bond with the now 25-year-old and shared his last words with his sister. "Morgan, I got Jules," Fieri told her. "I will take care of him like I take care of my kids. He is my son, I got this." Clearly, he's kept his word. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
