He says he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He didn’t, said Frito-Lay. Now he’s suing

Popular snack Flamin’ Hot Cheetos is at the center of a lawsuit between Frito-Lay and the man who says he invented them. “For decades, recognized Mr. Montañez as the creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos,” the lawsuit says. In the 2021 article, however, Frito-Lay said in a statement, “None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market.” The company added, “That doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Richard, but the facts do not support the urban legend.” Business The man who didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Richard Montañez has for years told a story of how he dreamed up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while working as a Frito-Lay janitor. “Dissatisfied that Mr. Montañez — a poor, uneducated Mexican plant worker and janitor — had successfully developed a new product, Frito-Lay’s R&D personnel completely shut out Mr. Montañez from the development process,” the lawsuit says. Separately, a similar but unrelated Flamin’ Hot Cheetos test product went out around 1990 in Detroit, Chicago and other markets in the central United States, managed by a separate division within Frito-Lay, the lawsuit says.