\n WING,
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\n that put the fowl favorite front and center.<\/p>\n
And think of the fact that many Americans will simply devour wings as an entr\u00e9e regardless of how they\u2019re classified on a bill of fare.<\/p>\n
That was the case when the popular chain Chili\u2019s added wings to its menu last year in advance of football season \u2014 and the result was that customers spent less (or traded down) by making wings their meal instead of ordering them as a starter, according to recent comments from Kevin Hochman<\/a>, CEO of Brinker International \u201cWe course corrected,\u201d a Brinker spokesperson told MarketWatch.<\/p>\n The issue continues to bedevil many other restaurants, according to industry analysts and professionals. The bottom line is no one quite knows what a plate of wings constitutes anymore \u2014 appetizer, entr\u00e9e or something entirely of its own classification.<\/p>\n Ironically, if there\u2019s one day on the calendar when such distinctions seem meaningless, it\u2019s Super Bowl Sunday. That\u2019s when an incredible number of wings are devoured \u2014 1.45 billion wings are expected to be eaten<\/a>, according to a pre-game estimate from the National Chicken Council \u2014 and there\u2019s not much thought given as to where the item sits on the dining spectrum. It\u2019s just, well, game-day food.<\/p>\n But during the rest of the year, confusion often reigns.<\/p>\n There are those who insist wings are entr\u00e9e-worthy and can\u2019t take a back seat to any other food when it comes to mealtime.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re the raison d\u2019\u00eatre,\u201d said Arthur Bovino, a food writer and podcaster <\/a>who knows wings from his considerable time spent in Buffalo<\/a>, the city most associated with the dish.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n \u201c<\/span>\u2018They\u2019re the raison d\u2019\u00eatre\u2019\u201d<\/span>\n <\/p>\n Others say a few wings go a long way \u2014 and they\u2019re fine with keeping them in the starter category.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like to eat an entire thing of wings,\u201d said Kristi Marquez, vice president of marketing for Das Beer Garden, a sports-minded restaurant in Jupiter, Fla., that naturally features the dish.<\/p>\n Marquez added that her establishment has a grazing-style approach to dining \u2014 meaning there\u2019s less distinction between starters and main dishes and customers generally order a few things \u2014 so the wing conundrum is not a big issue.<\/p>\n Other restaurateurs say even if customers order the wing appetizer as a meal, they don\u2019t want to stand in anyone\u2019s way.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is for people to eat what\u2019s on their plate. If they feel like having an appetizer as an entr\u00e9e, I encourage it,\u201d said Ron Silver, chef and owner of Bubby\u2019s, a popular New York City restaurant that offers a smoked-style gourmet take on wings.<\/p>\n Arlene Spiegel, a New York-based restaurant consultant, added that establishments are also well aware that wings \u2014 often a fairly spicy item in that Buffalo-style preparation \u2014 set the stage for customers to order more drinks. And that\u2019s where money is particulary made in the restaurant business.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real margins are in the booze,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The connection between wings and alcohol speaks to the very beginnings of the wing craze in America decades ago. That is, the dish was neither an appetizer nor an entr\u00e9e, but simply a low-cost bar food. Or what Clark Wolf, another industry consultant, called \u201c20th<\/sup>-century peanuts,\u201d a reference to a historic bar item offered gratis to make patrons thirsty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Specifically, the creation of the Buffalo-style version of wings that became so popular is often credited to the Anchor Bar, a Buffalo, N.Y., establishment, that began serving the dish in the \u201860s<\/a>. While there\u2019s some debate as to whether others in Buffalo came first<\/a>, the point is that wings and boozy beverages were inextricably tied together.<\/p>\n Eventually, wings went beyond the bar and became featured at restaurants, especially as a shareable appetizer. To this day, they\u2019re the third most-featured appetizer on menus behind salad and soup, according to Datassential, a company that analyzes restaurant trends.<\/p>\n But how and why did wings cross the line into meal territory?<\/p>\n Some industry insiders and observers say it has much to do with the advent of those wing-centric restaurants \u2014 Buffalo Wild Wings, a leader in the category, has been around since 1982. In effect, once some dining establishments made wings their focus, it signaled that wings were no longer a mere sideshow to the eating experience and could stand on their own in any restaurant or even when prepared at home.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s changed the perception of how people eat wings,\u201d said Chandler Steele, a senior manager of innovation for Tyson Foods <\/p>\n Other recent factors come into play when looking at how wings have moved into the entr\u00e9e realm, say experts. Perhaps the most significant they cite is the rising cost of eating out in this inflationary-prone era, as evidenced by U.S. government data that says restaurant (or \u201cfood away from home\u201d) prices increased by 7.1%<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n Wings are inevitably a cheaper meal than many other menu options. At a Chili\u2019s in suburban New York City\u2019s, a plate of a dozen wings with fries<\/a> runs $18.89, according to the chain\u2019s website. By contrast, a full order of the chain\u2019s popular baby-back ribs with fries and mac \u2018n\u2019 cheese costs $25.59.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t forget a certain generational factor, as in young diners don\u2019t always follow the \u201crules\u201d when it comes to what qualifies as an entr\u00e9e. Or so says Claire Conaghan, associate director of publications for Datassential.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever they most want, they will build a meal around it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Given that restaurants see fatter check averages, what could happen over time to the state of wings? Industry pros say to expect any number of possibilities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n \u201c<\/span>\u2018Do they have high return? Not necessarily. Do they have high risk? Absolutely.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\n <\/p>\n
\n EAT,
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\n the parent company of Chili\u2019s. The chain has continued to offer wings, but no longer displays the item as prominently on its menu in an effort to reverse the trend.<\/p>\n
\n \u2014 Food writer and podcaster Arthur Bovino on why wings deserve entr\u00e9e status<\/span>
\n <\/small><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n <\/div>
A server at an Anchor Bar brings out some wings. The wing-centric establishment started out in Buffalo, but now has several franchised locations.<\/h4>\n
\n Anchor Bar
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n TSN,
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\n a dominant company in the poultry business that supplies restaurants with wings and also packages wings as a supermarket product.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>
The Buffalo Wild Wings chain got its start in 1982.<\/h4>\n
\n Getty Images
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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