Chicken wings are, well, spreading their wings.
They’re popping up more on convenience-store foodservice menus—with Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s even aiming to have its growing program possibly match the convenience-store chain’s pizza business over time.
“We think this has the potential to be the size of the pizza business, frankly,” Rebelez, chairman, president and CEO of Casey’s, said during the company’s fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2026 earnings call June 10.
Rutter’s, too, is in on the action. The York, Pennsylvania-based company on July 6 announced a limited-time chicken menu, featuring “bold new items created for guests who prioritize maximum flavor on the go.” But Rutter’s didn’t leave wings out of the mix, noting that for the first time on its regular menu, customers ”can now have their bone-in and boneless wings tossed in their favorite sauce, adding even more customization to the Rutter’s chicken menu.”
At Laval, Quebec-based Circle K, the chain on July 9 announced its first-ever national hot food collaboration with a major brand, launching the new Flamin’ Hot boneless wings in a partnership with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay.
‘More than a trend’
“Chicken wings are hot for good reason,” said Donna Hood Crecca, senior principal at CSP sister research arm Technomic, Chicago. “They’re more than a trend—they’re a mainstream menu item across foodservice, growing in menu incidence in recent years to a point where a third (35%) of overall operators now offer.”
Essentially, chicken wings have evolved from a favorite bar food item to a strategic menu platform across segments, Crecca said. Craveable, shareable and flavorful, chicken wings are in demand and beloved by consumers, she said.
“Among our Taste Tracker respondents who’ve tried wings, three-quarters (74.4%) report positive sentiment and 37% actively love and seek them out,” Crecca said. “While consumers of all ages favor wings, boomers and Gen Z over index as fans, indicating popularity is likely to continue.”
For c-stores, wings fit with the operator and consumer need for speed and ease: For the operator, wings deliver on streamlined prep and labor, menu versatility, daypart flexibility and margin, and are a hot-hold protein that maintains quality over time, she said.
“For c-store consumers, wings are familiar favorites that are satisfying, portable and provide an endless opportunity for flavor exploration,” Crecca said.
While Buffalo remains the top flavor across foodservice, Technomic is tracking growth in heat layering and premium sauces, Crecca said. For example, cayenne, honey chili sauce, chili glaze and hot honey are fast-growing flavor profiles—more intense heat and sweet-heat fusion are trending.
“LTOs are where restaurant and c-store operators are showcasing wings,” she said. “Total wing LTOs increased 315% over the past five years, confirming wings as an innovation platform.”
Chicken is a ‘blank canvas’
Chicken itself isn’t a new menu trend but has been growing and thriving for years, said Rachel Toner, founder and technical director of Chalfont, Pennsylvania-based Taste Strategy. For consumers and retailers alike, chicken delivers on value (price and nutrition), familiarity and almost infinite culinary versatility.
“Chicken is a blank canvas you can grill, fry, marinade, top, bake, simmer and slather to fit almost any trend and flavor,” Toner said. “In other words, it’s a menu chameleon, except it’s chicken.”
To understand just how versatile this category is, give credit to some of the industry’s most creative marketing teams, she said.
“With a little bit of rebranding, they made it socially acceptable for adults to eat chicken tenders by simply calling them ‘boneless wings.’ The possibilities are truly endless,” she said.
At this point in the chicken wars, chicken wings are no longer a question of “why now?” but rather “why not?” Toner said
“It makes sense that convenience retailers would want to capitalize on the success of chicken and its many formats,” she said. “Outside of the obvious things that consumers value like taste, price, portability and convenience, chicken wings offer a unique benefit: daypart versatility. They can easily be positioned as a small snack or a more substantial meal aligning with shifts in consumer behavior around personalization and choice.”
However, bringing a successful chicken innovation to market requires more than just a concept and branding, Toner said.
“The sensory properties of chicken wings and other chicken formats are critical to consumer acceptability,” she said. “Development teams must prioritize the consumer and do their due diligence by conducting rigorous sensory and consumer testing. Prioritizing product quality is the only way to turn high performing concepts into a repeatable profitable reality.”
‘Complex category’
Chicken wings are a high-potential yet complex category for convenience retailers looking to expand their foodservice programs, said Richard Poye, founder of Nashville-based Food Trends Think Tank who in April also was named head of retail strategy and engagement at VideoMining, a market research and retail analytics company based in State College, Pennsylvania.
“While they offer strong brand appeal, the ability to increase basket size, and natural synergy with existing beverage and snack offerings, wings also present unique challenges, particularly around commodity price volatility,” Poye said. “This volatility interacts differently with the economic realities of convenience retail than with those of dedicated quick-service restaurants (QSRs) or bar-and-grill concepts. For retailers considering this menu opportunity, understanding the why, how, and what to avoid is critical to making an informed decision.”
Some retailers assume that wing prices will stabilize over time, however, the structural inelasticity of wing supply means that volatility is a permanent feature of this category, not a temporary issue, Poye said.
“Unlike large chains such as Buffalo Wild Wings, which can negotiate collared or fixed-price contracts with distributors to hedge against volatility, most convenience operators procure through foodservice distributors on standard terms,” he said. “This exposes them to spot-market fluctuations, making it risky to over-commit to wings as a permanent, high-volume menu item without safeguards.”
Don’t assume that wing prices will remain stable or that small operators can negotiate the same terms as large chains, Poye said, adding that the solution is to start with a limited-time offer (LTO) to test demand and pricing strategies before scaling up.
“Adopting a fixed retail price for baskets or boxes, rather than pricing by the wing or by weight, is the optimal strategy for convenience retailers,” he said. “This approach, already embraced by full-service restaurants, shields the register price from short-term commodity volatility and aligns with consumer expectations for pricing consistency.”
For example, instead of pricing wings at $1.50 per wing, offer a 10-piece basket for $12.99, he said. “This not only simplifies pricing for customers but also protects margins during cost spikes,” he said.
The primary value of wings to convenience retailers lies not in wing-specific margins but in their ability to drive incremental sales across beverages, snacks and impulse items, Poye said
“Wings create a hot food occasion that naturally pairs with drinks and snacks,” he said. “By treating wings as a traffic driver rather than a standalone profit center, retailers can enhance program resilience, even during cost spikes.”
Avoid focusing solely on wing margins, he said. Instead, measure success by basket size and attach rates (e.g., percentage of wing orders that include a beverage or snack).
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