NEW HAVEN, Conn. — With the Super Bowl just two days away, restaurants offering take-out and grocery stores stand to score big, as they do every year.
Archie Moore's has five locations, including their original location on Willow St. in New Haven, where they've served 39 Super Bowls. And they are among the businesses that look forward to winging it Sunday.
"This location (New Haven) will do over 20,000 maybe 25,000 wings," said Bob Fuchs, the owner of Archie Moore's restaurants.
That number just on Sunday alone. So the staff is now in pre-game mode.
"In the last two nights we've had a crew in the kitchen all night," said Fuchs. "They left this morning at 6:30. They were here from midnight until 6:30 and tonight they'll be here again all night again."
But, whatever is on your Super Sunday menu will cost you more than last year.
"We are up probably up 10% (on wings price) because even last year they were quite pricey," Fuchs said.
That is because of what COVID has done to its supply chain. And the same is true for those loading up in grocery stores.
"I was just talking to my mom and she said some lady writes down everything she gets and usually she spends $100, but she just spent $130," said Linda Ghiroli of Branford, while shopping at T & J Supermarket in East Haven.
But people are still cashing in their chips.
"The produce department is big with veggie platters, cold cut platters in the deli department, meat department has wings and we have all prepared foods that are ready to go," said Donna Angeletti, owner of T & J Supermarket.
A lot of people choose to make their own wings.
"We sell more wings this time of year, at Super Bowl time than any other time of the year," Angeletti said.
One suggestion, from Archie Moore's, for those choosing takeout wings: order and pick them up Friday night or Saturday. But ask for the wings to be cooked but with the sauce on the side. Then, on gameday, warm them up for 15 minutes at approximately 300-350 before dousing them with your favorite sauce.
To give you a little perspective on the price of wings, Bob Fuchs said when he first opened the New Haven Archie Moore's in 1982, wings cost him $0.16 a pound and they used to give them away during happy hour. Now the wholesale price is well over $3 per pound.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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