Chicken wing prices remain high, so some chains are promoting 'boneless wings' instead

Publish date: 2024-08-03
2022-02-10T17:55:02Z

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest days of the year for restaurants that sell chicken wings, and some brands are preempting any potential supply or price issues by promoting boneless wings over traditional versions. 

Bone-in wing prices nearly always increase ahead of the big game, Mike Mulé, general manager and one of the owners at Anchor Bar in Amherst, New York, told Insider last year. Prices got particularly high in 2021, to a record high of $3.22 per pound, up 84% over the previous year. Wing prices have since dropped somewhat, though inflation is still a factor increasing the price of most food goods, wings included.

Chicken wings are a small part of the chicken, and inherently limited. Chickens only have two wings, as Tom Super of the National Chicken Council reminded Bloomberg. Boneless wings, however, are made of the much more abundant breast meat, fried and prepared like a bone-in wing.

Selling boneless wings "give us options for lower prices," Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands told Insider in an interview. He explained that he doesn't anticipate customers choosing other dishes instead of dealing with price increases, because wings are a staple for the day.

Although Wiederhorn, who oversees nearly 1,000 restaurant locations that sell wings, doesn't anticipate a "severe supply chain shortage" of wings, some chains are preemptively promoting boneless alternatives. Applebees is offering a free 20-piece order of boneless wings with purchases of $40 or more on Super Bowl Sunday through its app, the chain told Insider. Wingstop is offering 70 cent boneless wings and discounted thigh bites on Valentine's Day, which falls on the Monday after the game this year.

Chicken wing consumption was up 17% in 2021, and breaded chicken is up 15% over the same period, according to NPD data. Chicken breast prices doubled last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Thigh prices are also up, but to a relatively modest 54 cents per pound compared to $2 per pound of chicken breasts, based on data from research firm Urner Barry.

While they may be more expensive than in the past, customers will likely still get their wings. Stories about wing shortages circulate in the month leading up to the Super Bowl nearly every year. Google Trend data shows that searches for "chicken wing shortage" are highest in January and February, shooting up some years. Managers at wing restaurants noticed the same trend.

It "spikes every year," a manager at Duff's in Buffalo told Insider last year ahead of the game.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

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