Buffalo Wings and Beyond

The Marketing Power of Wings and the Appeal of Upscale Bites

    As all-American as apple pie on the 4th of July, buffalo wings have been hanging out in bars since the mid 1900s. They offer a plethora of dressing options, easy and fast cooking times, low cost ratio and best of all, nothing makes a patron want to order another beer more than a mouth full of spicy sauce. Adding buffalo wings to a menu means high-flying profits, pretty much guaranteed.
    It is extremely hard to reinvent the wheel, so when dealing with any bar aspect that seems done-to-death, think marketing. Buffalo wings are an easy sell for those with a little promotional acumen and a laid back approach. Rather than trying to upsell them as an appetizer to a main course, why not focus on giving them away with a well-rounded promotion to drive up the beverage sales behind the bar?

Vermont’s Finest
    Chris Walsh and Damon Brink purchased Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont in January of 2003. Known for its jam band-centered live music scene, the concept had little profit from food and sports in the beginning. This once late-night domestic beer haven has become a sports viewing hot spot in the area, all due to smothered, four-inch buffalo wings.
    “It started in 2003 with the Red Sox playoff against the Oakland A’s,” Owner Damon Brink says. “We were looking for a way to get people through the door. It was all on-site advertising, and we were doing free chicken wings during the Red Sox games.”
    The promotion was a monstrous success. Figuring that one ad in a local paper might cost him about $1,000, it made more sense to use the money and offer his patrons something for nothing, Brink says.
    “It got so crazy in 2004 with the World Series, that I was working with wings guys in the summer when wing sales are down, just to prepare.”
    Nectar’s has given away 30,000 pounds of wings in the last two and a half seasons of baseball, he says. So what does this free-for-all cost Nectar’s?
    “Annually, we are laying out $5,000 to $7,000 a year,” Brink says, noting that the investment is considerably less than running two years worth of advertising in radio and print, and considerably worth it all when the bar is at capacity for every single baseball game.

Upscale Appetizers
    But barstools and Buffalo wings are not the only appetizers that appeal to a diner’s desire to nosh and nibble. Whether they are served as a mini-meal or an introduction to a main course, slightly fancier appetizers can fit the bill. For venues looking to attract the Cosmo crowd rather than the free-wing-munching sports nuts, the appetizers at the recently refurbished Galisteo Inn & La Mancha bar and restaurant in Santa Fe County, N.M., may provide inspiration.
    Chef Enrique Guerrero uses rustic touches to uniquely blend Mexican, Spanish and French flavors using fresh seasonal ingredients such as olives, chilies, huitlacoche, black truffles, figs, apricots and foie gras to create a palette of mouth-watering appetizers. Some of his exotic appetizers include a Duck “Carnitas” Tostada served with Jicama-Apple slaw and Habanero sauce; a Mushroom Mixiote made with slow-roasted seasonal mushrooms, caramelized red onions, roasted garlic, green chile, truffle essence and fresh corn tortillas; and Taquito Soup Chipotle made with corn broth, chicken, cheese taquito, fresh avocado and fresh cream. NCB