An already high demand for chicken wings is turning into a crunch as the Super Bowl approaches.
The Super Bowl is traditionally one of the two events on the sporting calendar that spike the consumption of chicken wings, the other being the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But the pandemic has roiled the usual cycle of demand, driving up prices and facing some foodservice operators with shortages.
According to the National Chicken Council, chicken wings rose 2% in units and 7% in dollar sales in 2020. Consumption declined in the early stages of the pandemic, which occurred soon after the Super Bowl and before the NCAA tournament, which was canceled. But it soon picked up as home food preparation increased, especially as small get-togethers turned into de-facto viewing parties for baseball or football games.
In addition, wings proved surprisingly resilient from a foodservice standpoint. They travel well, and many restaurants that sell them, like wing joints and pizza places, are built around pickup and delivery. A spokesperson for FAT Brands, a restaurant conglomerate that owns Fatburger and Hurricane Grill & Wings among other chains, estimated that his company will go through half a million wings on Super Bowl weekend.
