Amid soaring wing costs, restaurants play chicken
Some area owners absorbing losses to keep customers happy
Restaurant guests are used to seeing the term “market price” on menus, next to posh items — local grouper, boutique oysters, lobster. But in the wake of COVID- and weather-related shortages in both processors and product, they’re seeing that familiar “MP” next to something no one ever expected: chicken wings.
It was a shock to guests at Durango’s Steakhouse in Titusville, where eight wings used to sell for $8.99 and 16 for $16.99. At press time, they had doubled.
“At first, people were in shock and some would complain,” says executive chef Edward Hollingsworth, who has been heading out to tables to explain the reason for the jump. “They’re usually forgiving. Some just decide to order something else.”
In places like Papa Bees, though, it’s a whole other ballgame. Wings are 80% of their business.
Pre-pandemic, says general manager Ciarra Monson, 40-pound cases of jumbo wings (“always fresh, never frozen”)
were between $70 and $90 apiece. Prices had muscleflexes during the pandemic for a number of reasons — such as worker shortages at meat processing plants and weather-related issues that prompted massive product loss in Texas — but really began to skyrocket in January.
“Right now, they’re at $154,” she says.
Papa Bees, a Longwood legacy for 36 years, had no choice but to raise the prices: a small bump one month ago and a larger one on Thursday.
“It’s a hard decision to make,” says owner Lorie Hamm. “We are a big part of the community here with a huge following of loyal customers. Some of them have been coming here since we opened.”
Last year, the 10-wing serving went for $11.99. It’s gone up only $2. Other increments — Papa Bees sells a wider range than most places, servings of 10, 15, 20, 30 and 50 — have seen $4-$8 bumps. Monson says the increase isn’t enough. Even with business booming, a packed house on weekends and brisk takeout.
“We’ve been slammed this year,” she says. “The numbers are through the roof. But the food costs are so high, we’re not doing well. It’s been rough. We’re losing. Because of the wing prices.”
Wings are what bring many customers through the door at Kai Asian Street Fare in Winter Park. A two-time Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards Critic’s Pick for Best Wings, chef/owner Quan Van didn’t feel safe raising prices, even though he’s losing money on the product.
“We used to sell them in five, 10 and 20,” he says. “Now we only sell them six to an order. But we’re known for our wings. We can’t afford to not have it, but we’re not making money on them. We’ll continue to offer it, though, as long as we can get them.”
Papa Bees is a top account for their Gordon Food Services rep. They haven’t had that problem.
Not yet, anyway.
“We’re allocated wings automatically when they come in because we’ve been ordering with them for years,” says Monson. But both she and Hamm were nervous at press time. They’d ordered 90 cases for a wing-eating contest and plaza party June 12 event.
“I’m only getting 50 on Friday,” said Hamm. “So, we’ll see … “
Sean “Sonny” Nguyen’s Domu — a runaway hit when it opened in 2016 in Orlando’s Audubon Park neighborhood — fulfilled countless foodie fantasies with their steamy bowls of ramen. Even so, the kimchi butter-slathered Korean-style wings, hefty and crispy, are big sellers.
He’s since opened locations in Dr. Phillips and up in Jacksonville, not to mention the popular Tori Tori pub in Mills 50. But his new ghost kitchen pop up, Domu Wings, that opened in October 2020 didn’t make it out of May alive.
“The chicken wing market got to the point where prices were out of range for us to continue business,” says Nguyen, who says the team survived as long as they could, battling the surge with more economical choices in takeout expenses — bags, boxes and plastic materials.
“All those things rose in price, too,” he says. “But there’s a cap on how much you can charge due to consumer perception. No one’s going to want to pay $18 for six wings.”
Domu’s version requires a 24-hour process. It’s a lot of work, says Nguyen, but like Van, he hasn’t hiked prices at his other locations.
“It’s almost like a loss leader,” he says, “like you’re giving it away to the customer to ensure their loyalty. They’re so popular. I don’t want to upset customers by taking wings off the menu.”
At Papa Bees, of course, that’s not even an option. Solidarity and consideration among the independent eateries, says Hamm, helps. She and Monson visited a neighboring restaurant recently, also in Longwood for decades. It’s not a wing joint but does have them on the menu.
“He asked for our pricing so he could stay even or a little higher,” says Monson. “He didn’t want to undercut us. ‘We’ve got to keep each other in business,’ he said.”
“It says a lot about the community we’re in,” Hamm noted.
Out in Titusville, Hollingsworth says they’re selling nearly as many wings as they did before the price hike, which has helped them keep the steak prices on their menu the same. Filets, formerly $18 a pound, have shot up to $26.
“I don’t think the national chains have had to raise prices, but a lot of the mom-and-pop wing places have to,” Hollingsworth says. “And I don’t think we’ll ever see wings under $100 a case again.”
Hamm and Monson are hopeful but resigned. They’ll raise prices again if they must. So far, their customers have been understanding and supportive.
“We’re all in the same boat,” said Hollingsworth.
Nguyen sees it as a perfect, pandemic-spawned storm.
“I think with demand being so high, COVID preventing the factories from producing as quickly, the slaughter of so many chickens early on … [the industry] couldn’t catch up,” Nguyen says. “But we’re all in this together. We’re all fighting to make sure we come out on the other side. And we’re just happy that customers are still coming out to support us, through all of it.”