In 2012, Americans consumed more than 1.25 billion chicken wings, or more than 100 million pounds, during Super Bowl weekend. According to leaders in chicken processing sector, wing prices will rise at least 2 percent before the Super Bowl and will top $2 a pound before the February 3 game – forcing national restaurants to potentially reduce wing options and re-think pricing strategies around this once very profitable menu item.
After the big game last year, Quaker Steak & Lube reported:
- More than $200,000 in sales and more than 250,000 wings sold.
- 30 percent of orders were purchased through the company's drive-thru "Wingo window" and on their online ordering site, www.LubeWingstoFly.com
Most popular flavor reported on game day was their Louisiana Lickers sauce, which taste like a hot cajun garlic BBQ mix.
For wing-centric restaurants such as the Sharon, Pa.-based Quaker Steak & Lube and others around the nation, wing consumption may peak around the Super Bowl, but the business behind chicken wings requires year-after-year discipline to ensure customer pricing remains consistent without sacrificing flavor or uniformity.
