From the “You had one job” file:
A highly anticipated Anchor Bar franchise opened Thursday, May 17, in New York City, and by lunchtime on Friday, May 18, it was out of chicken wings (and beef on weck).
According to Eater, the location at 327 W. 57th St. (in Hell’s Kitchen) actually “turned wing-seeking customers away”!
Wings were available again by 1:30 p.m. Friday, but not before the arrival of two high-profile New York City food critics: Sam Sifton of The New York Times and Eater’s Robert Sietsema. Oof.
The original Anchor Bar in Buffalo is credited with inventing the chicken wing, and its slogan is “Home of the Chicken Wing.” So, understandably, Sifton, Sietsema and other diners were a little disgruntled.
2 On Your Side reached out to the Anchor Bar folks and they sent us this response:
“On its second day in operation, our new Anchor Bar NYC franchise location did triple the sales of our flagship restaurant in Buffalo, N.Y. Due to this overwhelming outpouring of support for and excitement about the Manhattan restaurant, and our famous wings, we ran out of wings for a brief moment during the lunch rush. At Anchor Bar, we don’t serve just any wings, so in order to supply our customers with fresh, signature wings the Anchor Bar way, we had to special order additional supply. Our franchise owner in NYC has made arrangements with his supplier to ensure that the restaurant is always fully stocked with enough signature, original Buffalo wings to meet the demand in this bustling market.”
