When you think about it, chicken wings seem to be nearly as big a part of Pizza Hut’s fare as pizza itself. In fact, a lot of Pizza Hut locations carry the additional WingStreet concept branding.
So, when I saw a press release about the Pizza Trends survey, commissioned by Pizza Hut, I took a look about what it said about wings.
Pizza and wings together?
First of all, it is worth asking if people like to have wings with their pizza. One would think this would be the case, since so many pizza restaurants offer both. It turns out that the majority of U.S. residents surveyed think so. The study revealed that 52% of respondents believe that ordering wings with pizza makes the overall dining experience better, and that 71% of respondents said they at least occasionally order wings with their pizza, and some even say they always order both together.
That seems like good news for the chicken industry.
Some of the responses vary by the geographical region of the United States. For instance, 17% of survey participants from California say they always order the two products together. It’s a similar story in Delaware, where 16% of respondents said they always pair the two. Fourteen percent of respondents from Missouri do so as well.
Bone-in or boneless?
Which is more popular, bone-in wings or the breast meat nuggets often referred to as boneless wings?
Well, as expected, the study offers insight into this. Again, where people live makes a difference.
The numbers appeared to be actually higher for those who prefer the boneless products. Kansas, Montana and Maine were the three states to rate them the highest, with 64%, 62% and 60% of respondents respectively giving the nod to boneless.
On the other side of the equation, 54% of North Carolina respondents and 53% of respondents from Delaware and Maryland said they prefer bone-in wings.
More specific pairings
Many respondents shared their favorite pizza and wing flavor profiles. Some of those combinations included:
- Pepperoni pizza with honey wings
- Vegetable pizza with spicy wings
- Onion and mushroom pizza with sweet and sour wings
- Meat lover's pizza with Old Bay seasoned wings
- Hawaiian pizza with BBQ wings
About the survey
This online survey of 5,000 American adults, split evenly by state, was commissioned by Pizza Hut and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30, 2024. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
