Chicken wings aren’t just for football fans anymore. Americans are eating so many that their appetite is sending prices to a record and helping lift profits for poultry processors including Sanderson Farms Inc.
“Food service traffic and demand in the U.S. remain below pre-recession levels, but demand from and the popularity of local chain concepts and restaurants that focus on wings are offsetting reduced traffic at casual dining restaurants,” Joe Sanderson Jr., chief executive officer of Sanderson Farms, said in its fiscal third-quarter earnings statement Thursday.
Jumbo chicken wing prices rose to a record this month as supplies are eaten up as quickly as they are produced, according to market research firm Urner Barry. Along with the rising number of sites for themed chains such as Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. and Wingstop Inc., an increasing number of pizza restaurants, grocers and convenience stores are selling the items, according to the market researchers.
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