Fans, restaurants across Delaware Valley prepare food ahead of Super Bowl Sunday

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Eagles may not be playing for the Lombardi Trophy like many in the Delaware Valley hoped for, but that isn't deterring fans from watching the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII.

Football fans say they'll be enjoying some good food while they're at it.

In Roxborough, dozens of shoppers hustled to ACME to get the foods they needed to put their game day spreads together.

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This year, residents are expected to stock up on plenty of finger foods like pretzels, mozzarella sticks, and pistachios, according to an Instacart survey of 2,000 U.S. adults.

"We're going to have a chicken dip, cheesesteak sliders, a variety of wings, a variety of pasta, and probably some desserts," noted Siani Stewart from West Philadelphia while discussing his game day menu.

However, no other food tops tortilla chips for game day.

That's right up Diane Loebelo's alley, who said tortillas would be on her Super Bowl Sunday menu.

"We got all of our snacks for tomorrow," Loebelo said. "Flour tortillas with cheese and meat and we're going to put a pineapple salsa."

"Tortilla chips, you can never go wrong," added Michael McMorrow from Portland, Maine. "Always gotta go with the Scoops and sometimes, if you're feeling good, a hint of lime."

Scott Green wasn't leaving his game day nourishment up to chance so he went to pick up his order of buffalo wings on Saturday.

He said among the hoagie trays and various dips that would be at his son's house, where he'll be watching the game, he said the buffalo wings would be the star of the show.

"Wings are my item," Green proclaimed. "I try to bring wings every year."

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Chicken wing lovers are in for a treat. The National Chicken Council's 2024 Wing report estimates Americans will devour 1.45 billion wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone.

That is welcomed news to restaurant owners like Rifih Fahd, co-owner of Wings To Go, who said he was already fielding pre-orders and preparing to be swamped on Sunday.

"Super Bowl for us is a very, very busy day," Fahd said.

He said it was like Christmas for him and other shop owners around the country. Fahd said preparation for the big day started days in advance with buying and preparing hundreds of pounds of chicken wings.

He even has to bring in additional staff to keep up with the 4,000 chicken wings he estimated would be ordered for consumption.

His shop has more than two dozen flavors, but he said classic buffalo wings are the most popular.

"Most people are more into mild or hot sauce, actually. But the store carries more than 27 flavors from hot all the way up to Asian fusion, medium, you name it, we have it," Fahd said.