“The industry is experiencing some supply challenges,” confirmed Sara Matheu, spokeswoman for Chicago-based US Foods, a supplier for restaurants nationwide including J & K. “Meat processors are having a hard time keeping up with increased demand due to a variety of challenges.”
Restaurants all over the country, from the Wing Barn in Texas to Chef Rich’s Kitchen in Ohio, are reporting the same. The wings have flown the coop.
Wings, like any other food commodity, can fluctuate dramatically in price over the course of the year. Typically, wing prices reach their zenith in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, then decline thereafter.
But this year has been no normal year. The pandemic has both disrupted supply chains and reshaped how we live, causing runs on products from toilet paper to electronic thermometers to once-obscure pasta shapes such as bucatini.