How Inflation Is Impacting Popular Food Choices For The Big Game On Sunday

The Big Game on Sunday is second only to Thanksgiving when it comes to the amount of food Americans eat.

Inflation has pushed food prices higher this year. The latest government numbers released last month showed dining out shot up 5.2% over 12 months and grocery store prices were 1.3% higher. But a fan favorite, chicken wings, is actually cheaper compared to last year’s Big Game.

A new report from Wells Fargo says fresh wings at the store have dropped 5% in price and the frozen variety are down 11%. That’s good news since the National Chicken Council predicts Americans will eat 1.45 billion wings on Sunday.

"We see a continued improvement in the poultry sector, and that's really helped with price of wings," says Wells Fargo’s Chief Agricultural Economist Michael Swanson.

But some snacks are more expensive, Wells Fargo says chips are about 5% higher than a year ago. However guacamole is expected to cost about the same as it did in 2023. Experts say you can find better prices if you shop around. Many grocery stores are discounting certain items.

"Supermarkets are aggressively trying to get people into their store," Swanson says.

Of course, millions of Americans will pick up food or have it delivered and that has Dominos gearing up.

"We call it our gameday," says Domino’s Pizza Franchise owner Giovani Jara.

The Big Game on Sunday is one of Domino's busiest days of the year, selling 2 million pizzas on average. Jara has been preparing for 2 weeks.

"It's all hands on deck, down to our office staff. You'll find our office team members working in a store that day," Jara says.

With football viewership expected to hit a record, it’s believed food orders could too.

"When it's a big game, this year, Kansas City-San Francisco, it's going to be a big day across the board," Jara.

And if you wonder what Americans will order, Domino's says the most popular pizza topping on game day is a classic: pepperoni.