Frisch’s sued by professional soccer team claiming the chain owes over $150K for sponsorship

CINCINNATI — Shortly after several Frisch’s Big Boy locations were forced to close amid evictions, a major soccer league in Ohio has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain.

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FC Cincinnati has filed a lawsuit against Frisch’s Big Boy claiming it owes over $150,000 for an unpaid sponsorship contract, our news partners at WCPO-9 TV reported.

According to a civil lawsuit filed on October 31 in Hamilton County, FC Cincinnati and Frisch’s entered into a sponsorship agreement in December of 2023 and, since then, Frisch’s has not paid a dime.

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Under the sponsorship agreement, Frisch’s was expected to pay FC Cincinnati $150,000 in five monthly installments, beginning on June 1, 2024, according to the lawsuit.

After that, the restaurant chain was supposed to pay $30,000 per installment on the first of every month after June, through Oct. 1.

The lawsuit also states that Frisch’s agreed to pay $2,000 in FC Cincinnati Trade and an additional $4,500 for each MLS playoff game played at TQL Stadium.

Frisch’s failed to pay in June, July, August, and September, and FC Cincinnati sent the restaurant business a demand letter, demanding they pay the full balance of $120,000 and the October bill for $30,000 by Oct. 4, according to the lawsuit.

FC Cincinnati claims that Frisch’s never responded to the letter and never made the owed payments.

When an MLS playoff game was held at TQL Stadium on Oct. 28, it meant that Frisch’s owed an additional $6,500 for its sponsorship agreement (the FC Cincinnati Trade amount, plus the playoff amount agreed on), according to the lawsuit.

“To date, Defendant has failed to make a single payment under the terms of the sponsor agreement,” reads the lawsuit obtained by WCPO-9 TV.

In total, Frisch’s owes FC Cincinnati $156,500 for the sponsorship, according to the lawsuit.

According to the copy of the sponsorship agreement included in the lawsuit, Frisch’s was given the right of first refusal for sponsoring signage at games, the ability to call itself “an official partner of FC Cincinnati,” and a one-minute-thirty-second-long ad on FC Cincinnati’s weekly team show, among other sponsorship opportunities in exchange for the promised funds.

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