BY NICK MATTERA
The annual rise in demand of the chicken wing coupled with a dwindling supply has pushed the price of the Super Bowl staple up more than 50 cents a pound.
One local business owner is suspicious of the increase and says chicken manufacturers are just looking to cash in.
“Between the holidays, NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, this is the time when people are ordering chicken wings most,” explains Paul Gigliotti, co-owner of Mister B’s Restaurant on Hyde Park Boulevard.
Gigliotti admitted at this time of year the price of chicken goes up, but never to these current prices.
He is paying about $2.11 a pound, which is up from the $1.50 he paid around this time last year.
Richard Lobb, a representative from the National Chicken Council, said that for the first time since 1973 poultry producers have cut production, due to an easing of demand for chicken breast, causing prices to rise dramatically.
“The industry has to balance the demand for the whole bird,” Lobb said. “I sympathize with consumers, but you have to remember a chicken only has two wings.”
He said if consumers want to enjoy their favorite football snack food they are going to have to bite the bullet a bit.
Or the wing in this case.
“It hurts business a little bit and every year the price keeps going up and up,” Gigliotti said. “It almost makes you wonder if they do it on purpose.”
The price surge has forced customers to shop around more looking for the cheap prices and better deals. Gigliotti said last week his restaurant even had a hard time getting their supply of wings.
Chuck Marazzo, a sales representative from Latina Foods, said the current seasonal price increase is expected but believes the industry will sustain the increases for the long-haul.
“I think the prices will stay high right through the Super Bowl and that will really hurt the pizza guys,” Marazzo said. “The problem has a lot to do with the big chains like Pizza Hut and Domino’s buying up all the supply, making the little guys suffer.”
Latina’s delivers more than 3,000 cases of wings to businesses throughout Western New York and Rochester.
Lobb called wings an “affordable luxury” and said he believes that the price increase won’t hurt the demand.
“The love of chicken wings has increased nationally. It has become a phenomenon of sorts,” Lobb said.
The current price of a pound of wings is higher than a pound of chicken breast which is a rare price inversion that Lobb attributed to the economy.
These days customers are more likely to order chicken wings from a pizza place, and less likely to go out to a higher-end restaurant where chicken breast may be served, Lobb said.
Gigliotti said that Mister B’s hasn’t suffered too much, thanks to the quality product they put out. He said they use a bigger wing, which helps set them apart from the competition.
“We stick by our product and believe it is the best,” he said. “We understand that wing prices have gone up and we are offering a number of pizza and wing specials that will help keep money in our customer’s pocket.”
