Chicken wing prices flying high

They’re a messy and popular food that could be taking a bigger bite out of your wallet. The price of chicken wings is flying through the roof.

Whether you like them mild or hot, you may have noticed your paying a little more for an order of chicken wings. The rising cost of wings is causing many restaurant and tavern owners to raise menu prices, which is threatening to put some out of business.

At Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, regular prices are still the same, but owners had to raise the weekly special from 25-cent wings to 35 cents.

“Throughout the winter they were increasing more than in the years in the past just due to supply and demand just because every restaurant throughout the United States and throughout the world is doing chicken wings,” Firebelly owner Daniel Boyle said.

Chicken wings used to be a throw away item, but the wholesale price in 2009 was up 39 percent from the previous year. The main factor driving up prices is the growing number of national chains that have added wings to their menus.

Boyle says the most expensive time of the year for restaurants to buy wings is during the football season. Once football is over, he says wing prices usually come back down.