- Casual-dining chains often capitalize on football season to draw in customers.
- We tried Buffalo chicken wings from five chains to determine the best option for game day.
- Wingstop surprised us with its saucy, juicy wings at the right price point.
The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and restaurant chains are rolling out crowd-pleasing tailgate favorites to win over fans.
In “Tailgate Taste-off,” Business Insider is pitting these chains against each other to uncover the best versions of popular game-day dishes.
Whether you’re deciding which chain has the best burger or offers the best value for delivery for your at-home Super Bowl party, this guide will help you make the most of your football season dining experience.
Buffalo chicken wings arguably reign supreme among the most popular game-day foods and are practically synonymous with football season.
A report by the National Chicken Council estimated Americans would eat 1.45 billion chicken wings during the 2024 Super Bowl. Many chain restaurants embrace wings’ popularity all football season long with promotional deals, family-sized bundles, and free delivery.
Chains that specialize in chicken wings, such as Wingstop, are also experiencing significant growth. In October 2024, the chain, which focuses its menu on bone-in chicken wings, boneless wings, and other chicken items, announced 38.8% year-over-year revenue growth.
Wingstop has also expanded its presence by opening 273 new locations across the US in the past year, bringing its total number of US restaurants to 2,064 at the end of the third quarter.
We ranked Buffalo chicken wings from five chain restaurants — Applebee’s, Chili’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, and Wingstop — based on taste and value.
Here’s how the five chain restaurants’ Buffalo wings ranked, from our least to most favorite.
