Rising food and utility costs are putting a financial squeeze on restaurants, which are reluctant to pass the costs on to cash-strapped customers in a fragile economic climate.
Wholesale costs of menu mainstays such as beef, cheese and potatoes have risen by double-digit percentages in the past year, forcing restaurateurs to consider price hikes, a switch to less expensive ingredients or to absorb what they hope is a temporary spike in costs.
“It’s a daily struggle,” said Laura Henry-Zoubir, culinary director for Union Fish Seafood & Raw Bar in Plymouth. “When you put something on the menu, you have to source it out no matter what the price tag has come in on it.”