WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Hosting a Super Bowl party is more expensive. Pretty much all the traditional food and drink cost more this year because of inflation.
For some, Super Bowl Sunday has turned into a national holiday. For Sarah Rust and the rest of the Bad Apple Saloon in Watertown, the big game is big business.
“We are working hard in the kitchen. Obviously, we know a lot of people are going to be ordering chicken wings, so we got a big order in this week. We updated our menu recently too, so we have a lot of other snack items, a lot of other new stuff to check out,” said Rust, bar manager.
Wells Fargo reports a total of $14.6 billion will be spent Sunday on food and beverages. That total is nearly 14% higher than last year due to a rise in costs for big game favorites like ground beef, steak, and of chicken. Wings are nearly 15% more expensive.
“The prices have remained high, although the supply is back up. We are currently charging $19.99 for an order of ten wings. On the plus side we serve super jumbo wings, so they’re nice big meaty wings so you’re getting a bang for your buck,” said Rust.
Restaurants like the Bad Apple Saloon are adjusting their big game prep to account for the rise in food costs from last year.
“We added two different nachos; the killer is the pulled pork trash can nachos. It’s just like a big platter and then we lift it up, we have a jalapeno hollandaise sauce in there, shredded pulled pork, and the whole thing’s a show. It’s great,” said Rust.
The cost of food hasn’t been the only thing to rise since last year. Soda is up by 9%. The cost of a beer is up by 6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even with the rising costs more almost one out of every two people will be celebrating somewhere come kickoff this Sunday.
“Sunday we actually start with brunch. We open at 8:30 a.m., serve brunch until noon, and then we’re going to keep the party going, I don’t know, midnight or later, I’m sure,” said Rust.
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