$2.80 last year, the lowest price since at least 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After hovering around $3.30 for the rest of 2020, prices began to spike again earlier this year.
Now, the daily price started out from $3.99 per pound in January to $5.22 in May, an increase of 87% since 2020.
Customers at Scotto’s Pizzeria in South Carolina are now paying more than $3 more for wings in order to make up for what the owner now has to pay. The price increase began about 10 days ago.
“It’s pretty hefty on our side,” said Tony Scotto, son of the owner of Scotto’s Pizzeria.
Scotto said that’s about a 20% increase. He said there aren’t enough drivers to deliver the wings, which he believes is causing the increase.
“Every week it’s a new driver,” he said. “And every time we talk to our vendor they let us know ‘we’re hiring and they’re quitting at the same time.’”
Weldon Boyd, the owner of Buoys on the Boulevard, said he used to pay $70 for a case of wings. Now, he’s paying almost $140.
Skyrocketing prices, Boyd said, make it difficult to bring enough wings to the table.