Higher costs have restaurants feeling the squeeze

Ohio restaurant homeowners hoping to 86 their pandemic anxieties this yr now have a brand new fear on the menu.

Driving the information: Restaurateurs say they’ve handled vital will increase in working prices up to now in 2022, per a ballot carried out final month by the Ohio Restaurant Affiliation.

Why it issues: Central Ohio, which noticed a wave of restaurant closures throughout pandemic lockdowns, is now attempting to stave off much more losses.

Takeaways from the current ballot:

📈Prices are up throughout the board: Eating places are paying far more for meals, provides and labor than they had been simply six months in the past.

💲Patrons bear the brunt: Almost all eating places have elevated menu costs to offset these larger bills, some by as much as 15%.

🧑‍🍳Staff are nonetheless wanted: Simply 11% of eating places report being absolutely staffed. Almost half of respondents say they’ve closed areas or shortened hours due to these staffing shortages.

What they’re saying: “[The poll] tells us that issues are nonetheless fairly robust for restaurant operators and staff,” John Barker, president and CEO of the restaurant affiliation, tells Axios.

• Some companies are taking uncommon steps, Barker says, like charging market worth for non-seafood dishes like beef and hen.

State of play: Restaurant reservations had been on the rebound this spring, as we wrote in early June, however the pattern tapered off since then.

• Throughout Columbus this summer season, most days have seen fewer reservations than on the identical date in 2019, based on OpenTable information.
• The lack of downtown visitors continues to be harming companies, with Barker pointing towards the current closure of Soften Bar and Grilled’s Quick North location — which as soon as was “the middle of the universe” in that enterprise district.

Sure, however: Individuals attempting to keep away from costly restaurant meals are additionally now feeling the ache on the grocery retailer.

💭 Tyler’s thought bubble: Ohio Diner Journalism™ is a cliche on high of a cliche, however it often proves constructive.

• The menu of a Cleveland-area diner I visited final Sunday featured a sticker studying: “All menu costs up $1.”

The underside line: Restaurateurs and patrons alike are attempting their finest to navigate larger prices, making reductions like these featured in 614 Restaurant Week much more engaging.