Tailgating has become synonymous with the Buffalo Bills and their passionately loyal fanbase, football fans from every walk of life that routinely show up with high energy regardless of the location of the game or the temperature outside to fervently support their team.
And I’m writing Rory and Ray Parker’s menu because I’ve been friends with Rory and Ray since Kindergarten, and have remained close friends with these two brothers through a lot with the Bills over the years.
It’s a bond that certainly
has always extended beyond Bills tailgates, but as we’ve gotten older, the Bills tailgates have become our central meeting ground, a guaranteed place to reconvene every fall and winter for a very long time now.
I’m sure you know the exact feeling of camaraderie with your tailgating group too.
What started as a nano-tailgate with a deep fryer for wings and fries has gradually morphed into a full-scale tailgating operation, often feeding 50-plus patrons thanks to multiple flat tops, cooking apparatuses, and condiments galore, I cannot recommend the Parker Brothers Tailgate enough.
And here is their menu for the 2026 Bills season.
(Rory and Ray will be situated in the new “white” lot — behind Prohibition 2020 — for the 2026 campaign and welcome you to join them.)
Week 2 – September 17: Detroit Lions, 8:15pm — Birria tacos
This was a new menu item in 2025, and it went over like gangbusters. And who hasn’t experienced the birria taco craze at their local Mexican restaurant or taqueria?
Well the Parkers are bringing that succulent experience to the grand opening of the new Highmark Stadium. Slow-cooked, marinated beef, melted Oaxacan cheese, and a consomé that knocks your socks off the moment you take your first bite.
Birria tacos will hit the spot on a momentous evening in Orchard Park with weather that should still feel like summer… before literal and figurative fireworks inside the new stadium.
Week 3 – September 27: Los Angeles Chargers — No tailgate (wedding in Lake George)
For the first time I can remember, Rory and Ray will not be at a Bills tailgate, working tirelessly to feed the masses before unwinding while watching their Bills play. Family wedding in the Adirondacks will keep them away for this one, but trust me, they’ll be back with more energy than ever after their own bye week.
Week 4 – October 4: New England Patriots, 1pm — Stingers
What wings are to Buffalo, stinger subs are to the Parkers tailgate. Well, stingers and garbage plates.
Every year, the stinger tailgate attracts more friends and random passers-by than any other because of the Parkers’ attention to detail with their stinger construction.
Thick chicken fingers, dipped in country sweet sauce, combined with perfectly cooked shredded beef, with any combination of lettuce, cheese, onions, banana peppers, and mayo on a fresh sub roll that can be toasted if you’d like (highly recommend it).
All ahead of a colossal showdown with the defending AFC champs in the House That Josh Built.
Week 8 – November 1: Baltimore Ravens, 1pm — Surprise, Surprise
Despite the pestering of my Parker Brothers sources, this tailgate remains a mystery. All I could manage to coax from said source was this, and it’s awesomely cryptic, it’s actually making me hungry right now:
“This tailgate has never been done before, maybe never again,” and “I’ll go out on a limb and say no one has ever tried it ever.”
….as if you needed more encouragement to get to Bills-Ravens.
Week 11 – November 22: Miami Dolphins, 1pm — Turkey 2 Ways
Have you ever had deep-fried turkey?
If the answer is no, this is one glorious sliver of life you have yet to experience.
The Parkers call this Turkey 2 Ways because you can get a few slices of classically cooked Thanksgiving turkey. And if that’s your jam, I respect that.
I recommend a taste of the Parkers deep-fried version that of course features a crunchy exterior and impossibly juicy meat as the focal point around mashed potatoes, corn, and everything else you’ll eventually eat on Thanksgiving with your family.
Week 12 – November 26: Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20pm — Cheesesteaks
Why aren’t the Parkers doing a Thanksgiving tailgate on Thanksgiving night? Well, they figured the tryptophan would probably be overwhelming at this stage of Thanksgiving, so they’re venturing away from all the food you’ve likely eaten in the hours leading up to this perennial enormous regular-season battle between the Bills and Chiefs.
And the Parkers Cheesesteaks could hold their own on any corner on the streets of Philadelphia. Trust me. Ask for extra cheese. Thank me later.
Week 15 – December 19: Chicago Bears — Italian beef
A cousin of the Cheesesteaks, I actually slightly prefer the Italian beef — my last name should be a dead giveaway I’d have this take.
Of course, this menu item from Rory and Ray is a nod to one of Chicago’s most revered culinary offerings, which just so happens to be the city’s version of the beef on weck.
The spicy giardiniera — finely diced peppers, carrots, celery — elevate this sandwich into the stratosphere. And the warm, seasoned roast beef will warm your insides ahead of this super-fun AFC-NFC showdown between two of the best improvisational quarterbacks in the NFL.
Week 18 – January 10: New York Jets, TBD — Smash burgers
I adore smash burgers, and every time I eat one, I wonder… how and why were we not always eating burgers this way… two patties, pressed thin, with ample amounts of melted cheese to hold them together?
And the Parkers have perfected the on-site smash burger… Ray is normally on the flat-top, precisely flattening each patty before loading with cheese.
Rory’s responsibilities come in the made-to-order building of your burger. And he will walk you through the process once your patties are ready to be assembled between two buns.
Because the Parkers have gotten so good with the presentation — and taste — of their smash burgers, this is an exquisite cap to the Bills 2026 regular season at this tailgate.
Playoffs — TBD
Among the menu items the Parkers have done in the past that would be possible during a Bills playoff run:
- Garbage Plates (unequivocally my favorite, thanks in large part to Mrs. Parker’s meat sauce)
- Hibachi (a gigantic undertaking but Michelin-star worthy)
- Burritos (made to your exact specifications, Chipotle-style)
- Breakfast (bacon, sausage, eggs, all sizzling on the griddle)
- Deep-fried everything (bring anything you want, the Parkers will deep fry right in front of your eyes)
- Spaghetti and meatballs (I never knew I needed this Italian classic before a football game, until I went to a Parker Tailgate)
What is your tailgate scene like? Are you already planned out with specific menu items? Leave a comment explaining everything in detail!
