Americans Plan To Spend More Than $10.7 Billion On Food For Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl isn't just for football. Eating during the Sunday showdown has become its own national pastime, but the pandemic is taking a bite out of the usual gatherings for the game.

The National Retail Federation said only 28% of people plan to go to a party or a bar for the game, a record low in the survey's history.

Some 186 million Americans will still be watching. Whether it's alone or in smaller groups, they plan to spend more than $10.7 billion on food and beverages.

Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, is seeing some of that money. The restaurant is famous for inventing the Buffalo chicken wing. While indoor dining business is down, shipping orders are soaring.

"It's the busiest week ever we've had in the history of shipping wings," said President and CEO of Anchor Bar Franchise Company Mark Dempsey.

It's not just wings people want. Americans are also picking up plenty of chips and snacks.

Frito-Lay sells a number of recognizable brands, like Cheetos, Ruffles, Tostitos, and Doritos. The company is anticipating a 21% increase in snacking over last year's Super Bowl Sunday. They're producing 70 million pounds of snacks this week alone.

"Snacking has been accelerating quite a bit throughout the pandemic. People are snacking about 40% more than they did prior to, and we anticipate that will continue through the Super Bowl," said Mike Del Pozzo, chief customer officer of Frito-Lay North America.

No matter who wins on Sunday, it appears America's love for food will remain undefeated.