Calgary's Wing Nights Lose Their Sting as Prices Soar

Calgary's wing night specials are no longer as affordable as they used to be. Gone are the days of finding 10 or even 20 cent per wing deals on local menus.

Roman Storoschuck, a Calgary pub owner and expert on wing nights, says that the cost of chicken wings has increased due to rising supplier costs. 'There are different ways that wings are priced, either by wing or by pound... By single wing probably the range would be anything from 30 to 40 cents to a dollar... a dollar-ten or a dollar-twenty, maybe something in that range,' he explained.

Mike Shupenia, owner of Side Street Pub and Grill in Kensington, attributes the shift to half-priced wing deals as a result of losing money on traditional pricing. 'Eight years ago, all of a sudden our chef's like, 'Hey just to let you know, we're losing money on wing night now.' So when you get to the point where you're losing you're like 'well we'll bump it up 10 cents' and then all of a sudden you're bumping it up to 50 cents and now even 50 cents you're still losing money or breaking even barely, so half-priced wings were invented,' he said.

Analyst Kevin Grier points out that Canadian demand for chicken is excellent, which contributes to the rising costs. Additionally, restaurant traffic can also impact wing prices, with restaurateurs offering cheap wings to entice customers back in a shifting economy.