Sponsored by Frank's RedHot®

Football & Wings = The Perfect Play

Sports bar tip: Pair your chicken wings with football!

As we have observed many times, there is no more ubiquitous menu item in the sports-themed restaurant vertical than the almighty chicken wing. That’s why we strongly encourage our operators to not only embrace these little appetizer wonders, but also to highlight them anyway possible. Among the best attributes of chicken wings is their flexibility.

Here are four ways you can enhance their value to your menu.

1. Create a “tailgate” appetizer that includes wings as the central item. Don’t be afraid that a plate like this will cannibalize your other sales. Offer it only on big game days and build it with a beer pairing. A pitcher of beer, 12 wings, and two other appetizer samples will give your guests variety of flavor and build your sales.

2. Offer the “tailgate” package, or just wings, for carryout. Wings travel well, reheat better than most full-service menu items and are very profitable. Keeping your kitchen busy before and in between games improves your efficiency and keeps your product turns high, ensuring fresh quality.

3. Package wings in various sizes & flavors. Few operators take advantage of the increase sales that incrementally sized wings provide. Think of up-selling a small to a medium or a medium to a large. Your labor doesn’t change on the larger item, but you are taking in more gross revenue. It both satisfies the guests desire to buy exactly what they want size-wise and drives volume and gross profit for your restaurant. Wins all around. Now if your local team can only do the same…

4. Branded Promotions: The brands you rely on to make great food everyday are also amazing marketing partners. Take the powerful College Football Promotion being offered by Frank’s RedHot King of Wings and Dos Equis Beer. Through it you can provide a chance to attend this year’s College Football Championship. The promotion is easy for guests to access using their own social media and uploading a pic of themselves drinking a Dos Equis beer and eating your wings smothered in Frank’s RedHot. Click here for all the details.

These are only a few ideas of how to pair wings and football. Tell us yours so we can know what best practices you are executing.

Got a cool restaurant hack? Click below to share it.