THE GAME IS ON, AND SO IS THE FOOD BUSINESS: Why Winning Game-Day Marketing Is About More Than Wings, Pizza and Nachos

 

Sports viewing has become much more than an opportunity to watch a game. It is a food occasion, a social gathering, a retail opportunity and an increasingly important battleground for restaurants, grocery retailers and convenience stores according to Steven Johnson, The Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Whether consumers are watching professional football, basketball, hockey, college sports or international soccer, one thing remains remarkably consistent: food is part of the entertainment.

But the game-day food business is changing. Consumers are no longer satisfied with the same predictable assortment of wings, chips and pizza. They want flavor choices, portability, convenience, customization and, increasingly, an affordable way to feed a group without sacrificing quality.

The Grocerant Guru® has long recognized that consumers do not think in retail channels. They think about what they want to eat, when they want it, where they want it and how much they want to spend.

That creates an enormous opportunity for restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and other food retailers willing to compete for the same consumer and the same eating occasion.

The 2025 and 2026 food industry data reinforce an important point: Game-day food marketing is no longer just about selling food. It is about owning the occasion.

The Numbers Behind the Game-Day Food Opportunity

Consider several recent industry findings.

·       2026 Chicken Wings: The National Chicken Council projected Americans would consume 1.48 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LX, approximately 10 million more than the previous year.

·       2025 Restaurant Orders: DoorDash reported more than 639,000 chicken-wing orders and more than 637,000 pizza orders on championship Sunday. Wing orders were nearly 25% higher than on any other day of the year.

·       2026 Grocery Shopping: Instacart reported that Big Game shoppers purchased tortilla chips 106% more often, salsa 96% more often and shelf-stable dips 227% more often than their respective yearly averages.

·       2026 Hosting: Circana reported increased unit sales during the global soccer tournament viewing period, including fresh produce party trays (+1.9%), deli entrees (+1.3%), pretzels (+1.5%) and ready-to-eat popcorn (+1.6%).

·       2025 Grocery Foodservice: FMI reported that consumers choosing grocery deli-prepared foods instead of restaurant meals increased from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. Additionally, 53% of Americans reported taking a hybrid approach to meals, combining deli-prepared foods with items from their own kitchens.

These numbers tell a compelling story. Consumers are assembling their own food experiences across channels. The retailer or restaurant that makes the occasion easier, tastier and more affordable has an opportunity to win the transaction.

Five Game-Day Food Categories That Deserve Attention

1. Sliders: Small Format, Big Opportunity

Sliders deliver something consumers increasingly appreciate: variety without requiring a full-sized meal.

Think beyond traditional beef and cheddar. Consider:

·       Korean barbecue beef sliders with pickled vegetables.

·       Nashville hot chicken sliders with creamy slaw.

·       Pulled pork sliders with sweet barbecue sauce.

·       Crispy fish sliders with spicy tartar sauce.

·       Plant-forward mushroom and cheese sliders.

Sliders allow consumers to sample several flavors without committing to one large sandwich.

For grocery retailers, sliders can be sold in ready-to-heat party packs. Restaurants can offer six-, twelve- or twenty-four-piece assortments. Convenience stores can merchandise smaller individual portions alongside beverages and snacks.

The marketing opportunity is not simply the slider. It is the ability to sell variety, convenience and shareability in one package.

2. Chicken Wings: The Flavor Playground

Chicken wings remain a game-day heavyweight, but consumers increasingly have opportunities to explore different flavor profiles.

Buffalo, honey garlic, Korean gochujang, Nashville hot, lemon pepper, sweet chili and Caribbean jerk provide opportunities to create distinctive assortments.

The 2026 National Chicken Council projection of 1.48 billion wings demonstrates the enormous scale of the occasion.

However, operators should not assume that every customer wants the same wing experience.

Offer bone-in and boneless selections, tenders, chicken bites and sauce flights. Include a choice of dipping sauces and cooling accompaniments.

Grocery deli departments can compete with restaurants by offering hot wings, refrigerated prepared wings and heat-and-eat assortments. Restaurants can differentiate themselves through signature sauces and consistent preparation.

The winning strategy is to sell a flavor experience rather than simply selling a dozen wings.

3. Nachos: Build Your Own Food Experience

Nachos are an ideal game-day platform because they allow consumers to customize their food.

Traditional tortilla chips, queso, jalapeños and salsa remain relevant. But the opportunity expands considerably when operators add:

·       Barbecue pulled pork.

·       Birria beef.

·       Buffalo chicken.

·       Street corn.

·       Black beans and roasted vegetables.

·       Fresh pico de gallo.

·       Guacamole and specialty cheeses.

Consider a nacho flight featuring three smaller flavor combinations instead of one enormous platter.

This creates opportunities for incremental purchases and gives consumers something to discuss and share.

For food retailers, ingredient merchandising can make nachos a cross-category opportunity. Chips, deli proteins, cheese, salsa, guacamole and beverages can all become part of one game-day purchase.

4. Pizza: The Reliable Crowd Pleaser Needs Reinvention

Pizza remains a natural choice for sports viewing because it is familiar, portable, shareable and easy to order.

But pizza operators should not confuse familiarity with consumer loyalty.

Consumers have choices ranging from national pizza chains and independent restaurants to supermarket take-and-bake products and refrigerated prepared pizzas.

Consider expanding beyond traditional pepperoni:

·       Hot honey pepperoni.

·       Buffalo chicken and blue cheese.

·       Barbecue brisket.

·       Mediterranean vegetable.

·       Spicy sausage and roasted peppers.

·       Korean barbecue chicken.

Smaller specialty pizzas, half-and-half combinations and pizza bundles provide additional opportunities.

DoorDash's 2025 championship Sunday data, showing more than 637,000 pizza orders, demonstrates how significant the occasion can be for delivery operators.

The lesson is straightforward: consumers want pizza, but operators still need to earn the order through price, quality, convenience and differentiation.

5. Dips, Chips and Snack Boards: The Incremental Sales Engine

Never underestimate the power of the dip.

Instacart's 2026 Big Game research found that shelf-stable dip purchasing was 227% above its yearly average. Tortilla chips were 106% higher, while salsa purchases increased 96%.

These are substantial occasion-driven purchasing differences.

Traditional guacamole, queso, French onion and salsa remain important. However, food retailers should also consider:

·       Buffalo chicken dip.

·       Smoked jalapeño queso.

·       Whipped feta.

·       Roasted red pepper hummus.

·       Street corn dip.

·       Spinach artichoke dip.

·       Specialty dessert dips with pretzels and fruit.

The opportunity extends beyond individual products.

Create complete snack boards combining cheeses, charcuterie, crackers, vegetables, dips, nuts and sweet treats.

Grocery stores can assemble ready-to-serve boards. Convenience stores can offer smaller snack combinations. Restaurants can create appetizer packages designed specifically for delivery and pickup.

The objective is to turn several small purchases into one larger, more satisfying food occasion.

The Next Generation of Game-Day Food Marketing

The traditional game-day menu is evolving. Successful operators need to recognize that consumers want different combinations of food depending on the game, the gathering and the time available.

Here are four strategies worth implementing.

1. Sell the Occasion, Not Just the Individual Menu Item

A dozen wings is a product. A complete game-day package is a solution.

Create packages that combine:

·       Wings and sliders.

·       Pizza and salad.

·       Nachos and specialty dips.

·       Chicken tenders and multiple sauces.

·       Snack boards and desserts.

Offer packages for two, four, six and ten people.

The objective is to simplify purchasing while increasing the overall transaction.

A consumer who might purchase one pizza could be persuaded to purchase a complete food package when the value is clear.

2. Make Price, Value and Convenience Work Together

Affordability matters.

Wells Fargo's 2026 Super Bowl food report estimated that hosting ten people would cost approximately $140, compared with $138 in 2025.

That is approximately $14 per person.

This demonstrates the importance of giving consumers an affordable way to entertain without making the food experience feel inexpensive.

Restaurants should communicate what a package feeds, what is included and how much consumers save compared with ordering individually.

Grocery retailers should compare ready-to-eat, heat-and-eat and assemble-at-home options.

Convenience stores should emphasize smaller packages and immediate consumption.

Remember the Grocerant Guru's Price Value Service Equilibrium: consumers evaluate price, quality, convenience and the overall experience together.

The lowest price does not automatically win.

3. Embrace Flavor Exploration and Customization

Consumers want familiar foods with interesting twists.

A traditional chicken wing can become a Korean barbecue experience. A pizza can become a hot honey specialty. A nacho platter can become a birria-inspired meal.

This is where limited-time offers become valuable.

Create seasonal and regional flavor combinations that give consumers a reason to purchase now rather than later.

For example, a football rivalry could inspire two competing wing flavors. A hockey promotion could feature a hat-trick sampler with three sauces. An international soccer tournament could introduce regional food combinations reflecting participating countries.

The key is to connect food innovation to consumer participation rather than relying exclusively on team logos and advertising.

4. Connect Grocery, Restaurants and Convenience Retail

One of the most important opportunities is the elimination of traditional food retail silos.

The 2025 FMI research showing that 28% of consumers had replaced restaurant meals with grocery deli-prepared foods illustrates the competitive shift.

A grocery retailer can compete with a restaurant through freshly prepared wings, pizza, sliders and party trays.

A convenience store can compete through hot sandwiches, chicken, pizza, snack combinations and prepared beverages.

A restaurant can compete through family packs, delivery bundles and pickup promotions.

Consumers are not necessarily loyal to a channel. They are loyal to the solution that best meets their needs.

The Grocerant Niche is particularly relevant here. Fresh-prepared, ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat foods allow retailers and restaurants to compete for the same consumer occasions.

Beverages and Desserts: Don't Leave Money on the Table

Game-day food marketing should not stop with the main course.

Beverages and desserts provide important opportunities to increase the average transaction.

Consider pairing:

·       Buffalo wings with lemonade, iced tea or flavored sparkling water.

·       Spicy sliders with citrus beverages.

·       Pizza with specialty sodas.

·       Nachos with fresh fruit beverages.

·       Snack boards with cookies, brownies and bite-sized desserts.

Nonalcoholic beverage choices deserve particular attention. Flavored lemonades, sparkling waters, mocktails and specialty iced teas can broaden the appeal of a game-day package.

Desserts should also be designed for sharing. Mini cheesecakes, cookie assortments, brownie bites and chocolate-dipped treats can complete a party package.

The point is simple: consumers purchasing food for a gathering are often purchasing more than one eating occasion.

Three New Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1. Own the Occasion, Not the Channel.

The consumer does not care whether the wings come from a restaurant, the grocery deli or a convenience store. They care about flavor, quality, price and convenience. Retailers that compete across channels for the same eating occasion will discover new customer acquisition opportunities.

2. Customization Creates Incremental Revenue.

One flavor of wings is a transaction. Four flavors, three dipping sauces and a shareable side create an experience. Consumers appreciate choices, and operators can use customization to differentiate their offerings, increase average checks and encourage repeat purchases.

3. Convenience Without Value Is a Losing Proposition.

Consumers will pay for convenience, but they expect something in return. Quality, portion size, flavor, portability and price must work together. The brands that understand the intersection of price, time and flavor will be better positioned to attract and retain customers.

The Bottom Line

Sports viewing is not simply a television audience opportunity. It is a recurring food marketing opportunity that crosses restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and other retail formats.

Consumers are dynamic, not static. Their expectations, eating habits and purchasing decisions continue to evolve.

Brands that continue selling yesterday's game-day menu without understanding today's consumer risk losing tomorrow's transaction.

The game may be decided on the field, but the food business is decided by the consumer.

Steven Johnson, The Grocerant Guru®, is the founder of Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, Washington, recognized for identifying the Grocerant Niche in 1996. Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development, identifying, quantifying and qualifying additional food retail segment opportunities, new menu product segments, and brand and menu integration strategies.

Is Taco Bell Pricing-Out the Competition?

Fast Casual chains were the talk of the industry trade magazines back in the day.  It seemed as if every restaurant chain wanted to be a fast casual chain.  There is a little suggestion out there today that fast casual is still the platform for growth.  Taco Bell has even started its own fast casual concept.

Regular readers of this blog know that all the while Taco Bell was testing the waters with fast casual the ‘big data’ was point to growth and profit potential with its core fast food followers.  Part of it was the fact that 50% of US consumers over the age of 18 are single according to the US Census Bureau and single consumers continue to fuel drive thru visits.

At Taco Bell it’s continued top line growth can be traced back to 2017 in a bold brand positioning choice that Taco Bell’s Chief Brand Officer made.  That brand positioning was a commitment to cater to its base consumers expanding the number of $ 1 menu items that they offer for $ 1 or less. 

If year over year same sale numbers are an indication of success and the food industry says they are Taco Bell’s numbers prove out that positioning price as a key driver of growth works.  This past week Taco Bell innovative menu development team rolled out their latest addition of a Triple Melt Burrito and Triple Melt Nachos combine these two new items puts Taco Bell very close to having 20 items for only $ 1 or less.

Small meals, snacks,  late-nite snacking, or ‘forth meal’ customer traffic counts are  more important  brand building than sales increased that are a result of menu price increases according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Johnson continued building brand value requires evolving with your consumer and at times it requires leadership that can buck industry norms and reduce check averages to build customer frequency and that is just what Taco Bell has done.  Now they did that while simultaneously edifying flavor craveability, improving service times, and improving cleanliness. 

So just what is your New Electricity? Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us