Jason Clark, the manager of The Social, recently told me that he isn't making any money on chicken wings, but for the time being he is planning on continuing the "Wangsday" 25¢ wing special at the Washington Avenue Bar. I asked him about it because there was a story about the high price of chicken wings on the front page of yesterday's New York Times. It seems that chicken wings are selling for more than boneless chicken breasts at the moment. Some joints that used to sell wings are chopping up the chicken breasts, battering them, frying them, and calling them boneless wings.
Reminds me of going to the grocery store this summer and finding that fajitas were selling for 50¢ a pound more than USDA Prime Ribeye steaks. The chicken breasts are cheap for the same reason that the steak was on sale. Nationwide, the restaurant business is suffering due to the recession. The lack of orders from restaurants has resulted in a surplus of USDA Prime steaks and boneless skinless chicken breasts. Grocery stores aren't discounting the chicken yet -- but keep your eyes open and prepare to stock up the freezer.
Meanwhile, see you at the Social.
