A Pandemic Super Bowl: What’s The Game Plan?

Super Bowl LV is here! The much-anticipated game day is typically full of snacks, drinks, and parties. But with the pandemic still surging across the country, how are the majority of people planning on participating this year?

After recently surveying 1,029 Americans aged 18+ who are likely to watch the game, we found that the pandemic won’t keep people from their snacks! Nearly two-thirds (63%) plan to spend around $20 on food and beverages for the Super Bowl, and 37% will spend at least $30.

This year, chips tops the list of game day essentials, with three-quarters planning to include them in their game day spread. The brands most likely to fly off the shelf? Doritos, Tostitos, and Lay’s.

Also on the list of must-haves? You’ll find chicken wings (45%), nachos (26%), frozen appetizers (21%), veggie platters (20%), and baked goods (19%)… yum!

But it doesn’t stop there; pizza is another top contender. Of those who plan to buy pizza, 64% will order takeout or delivery (a local pizza place, Domino’s, and Pizza Hut are most common) while 36% will buy pizza from a grocery store (led by DiGiorno, followed more secondarily by Red Baron and TombStone).

What about the drink of choice? Beer is by far the top alcohol purchase for the game, with Bud Light (32%), Craft beer (23%), Budweiser (20%), and Corona (18%) the most appealing beers. Three-in-ten of likely alcohol purchasers also anticipate buying hard alcohol, hard seltzer, and/or wine.

One thing is for certain: the majority plan to follow COVID-19 restrictions by watching the game from home sans party (53%). Only 7% plan to host a watch party and 5% will be attending one, with the remaining undecided on how they will watch.