Setting out that Super Bowl LVI spread may cost a little more in 2022, but the good news is hosts won’t find themselves scrambling to find one of the most popular game day menu items: chicken wings.
“There will be no wing shortage,” National Chicken Council spokesperson Tom Super stated in a news release, adding, “Like almost anything else you buy right now, wings might be a little more expensive, but they’ll be stocked. I just wouldn’t wait until kickoff to be in line or order online.”
According to the council, wing consumption during Sunday’s showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals is expected to match the 1.42 billion scarfed nationwide during the 2021 Super Bowl.
Chicken wings currently retail for roughly 30 cents more per pound compared with one year ago, despite current inventory for the fan favorite hovering about 70% above demand for 2021, Fox Business reported.
Recent USDA data indicated that the average “sale” price for wings being advertised currently by grocers is just under $3 per pound, while the cost of an eight-piece order of restaurant-prepared wings has increased by an average of nearly $3 compared with the year-earlier period, the network reported.
Americans’ heightened appetite for chicken wings during the pandemic has fueled the current price spike, Super stated, because that demand is putting additional pressure on a supply chain already stressed by labor shortages, shipping delays and inclement weather.
“Demand for chicken wings has been through the roof since the beginning of the pandemic,” Super said. “A shift from sit-down restaurants to takeout and quick service has boosted chicken wing consumption.”
He added, “Restaurants like wing joints and pizza places were built around takeout and delivery, and as long as people are sitting around watching TV and maybe drinking a beer, wings will remain in the game.”
Atomic Wings CEO Zak Omar told Restaurant Business that the cost of the chain’s wings has increased 100% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, NPR reported.
“In March (2020), when COVID just started, we were at $60 for a case of wings. Today, we’re at $120 for a case of wings,” Omar told the trade publication.
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