Hooters employee Jodee Berry was left furious after winning a competition at work, only to find the prize wasn’t what she expected.
Jodee entered a beer sales competition hosted by Hooters on April 1, 2001, with the grand prize being a Toyota for the employee with the highest beer sales for the day.
However, when she emerged as the winner, the corporate owner, Gulf Coast Wings, Inc, informed her that the entire competition was an April Fool’s joke.
Instead of receiving a car, Jodee was given a doll of Jedi Master Yoda from Star Wars, playing on the pun of ‘Toy-Yoda’ instead of Toyota.
Displeased by this unexpected turn of events, Jodee filed a lawsuit against Gulf Coast Wings Inc, citing breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Contrary to what you might expect, the court upheld Jodee’s complaint, and she successfully won her lawsuit for damages resulting from the prank.
While the exact amount of the compensation was not disclosed, her lawyer mentioned that it was large enough to allow her to freely choose any type of Toyota at a dealership.
Despite the restaurant manager’s claim that it was intended as an April Fools’ Day prank, the outcome proved costly for Hooters, sparking discussion on social media about the prank’s appropriation.
Some found humor in the situation, but pointed out that the car should have been allocated as originally promised.
Others praised Jodee for taking legal action against the restaurant prank, highlighting the unexpected consequences for Hooters.
