Restaurant owners are responding to the shortage by raising prices or selling the appetizer at market price.
A chicken wing shortage has forced restaurants across the U.S. to increase their prices as suppliers are running low on the popular appetizer. The shortage has been brewing for months, for various reasons, including an increase in demand for wings during the pandemic and a lack of production workers. Restaurant owner Jason Esterkamp said a labor shortage means that chicken processing plants do not have the workforce to open all their lines. He told WXYZ Detroit: «All I can tell you is that wings are hard to come by, and they are extremely expensive.» For example, chicken wings are normally priced at $1.50 to $1.70 per pound in the northeast, according to Mental Floss, which reports that wings can now cost $3 or even $4 a pound. As a result, chicken wings are costing restaurant operators more, and some are passing the cost on to consumers, while others suffer the loss. Independent restaurant owners are particularly affected by the price increase, as large companies such as KFC, for example, are more able to absorb the increased cost.
