Hooters enters NFL championship game wing wars

Football's big day is just a giant game of chicken for eateries letting customers bet on free wings.

Before kickoff even begins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters and others are trying to out-market each other to become the No. 1 pick for football fans during the Feb. 2 match in Miami.

Three days after Buffalo Wild Wings promised to give football fans free wings if the game between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs turns into a nail biter and goes into overtime, Hooters tossed in its own wager.

PEPSI BETS ON NFL CHAMPIONSHIP: IF TEAM'S SCORE ENDS IN ZERO, YOU GET A FREE DRINK

Hooters, the sports bar known for its wings served up by scantily clad waitresses, is promising to give fans free wings on Feb. 2 if they are at the restaurant when the game goes into overtime.

The company, which officially announced its "instant" reward Friday, is taking a swipe at competitor Buffalo Wild Wings, whose reward doesn't kick in until two weeks after the game.

"Read the fine print," Hooters said. "They’re asking football fans to come in two full weeks later, on a Monday afternoon during a specific four-hour time window to get their snack size 'free wings.' Sounds like they’re hoping [overtime] is long-forgotten by then."

Buffalo Wild Wings did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.

The chain nicknamed "B-Dubs" is offering to give everyone free wings for a three-hour span on Feb. 17 at participating locations in the U.S. and Canada. Customers will be privy to one free order of boneless or traditional snack-sized or a 5/6 count of chicken wings, depending on the location, the company announced Tuesday.

“Football fans love to have fun with our established connection to overtime, tweeting at us any time a game goes to extra time,” said Seth Freeman, chief marketing officer for Buffalo Wild Wings. "That was taken to the next level last year when free wings were on the line, so we knew we had to bring this program back.”

BUFFALO WILD WINGS BETS ON NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: FREE WINGS IF GAME GOES INTO OT

However, in the history of the NFL, only one championship game has ever gone into overtime. So the odds of customers across the nation indulging in the freebies are slim.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Rival Applebee’s, whose parent is Dine Brands Global, also decided to join in on the chicken wing wars by giving away 1.6 million free wings to fans across the nation on gameday.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
DIN	DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC.	35.41	-0.51	-1.42%

Fans who take advantage of Applebee’s Delivery will receive 40 free Classic Boneless Wings with orders of $40 or more using promo code FREEWINGS.

“That’s right, you can get your free order of 40 Classic Boneless Wings delivered right to your door along with your $40 Applebees.com or mobile app order wherever you happen to be watching the game on Sunday, Feb. 2," said Joel Yashinsky, Applebee’s chief marketing officer.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

This isn’t the first time a fried piece of poultry has pitted some of the country's biggest food chains against each other.

Last year, the so-called “chicken wars” became a trending topic on social media because of a debate over the hierarchy of chicken sandwiches from some of the industry's heaviest hitters such as Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, which is a unit of Restaurant Brands International, Wendy's and McDonald's, all of which are clamoring for ways to effectively compete against each other.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
MCD	MCDONALD'S CORP.	292.44	-1.80	-0.61%
QSR	RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC.	69.72	+0.11	+0.16%
WEN	THE WENDY'S CO.	18.06	-0.05	-0.28%

MCDONALD'S CHICKEN SANDWICH 'BIG US HIT' RIVALING POPEYES, CHICK-FIL-A, KFC