WC Wisconsin News

Wisconsin restaurants face major challenges, as inflation increases at a rate some economists say is the highest seen in the U.S. in about 40 years.

According to a report by NBC 26, one area that has seen a major increase in price is steak and seafood. According to the report, the prices for steak and seafood have gone up by 25 to 30% over the past two years, increasing by 5% each month. One restaurant owner said that two years ago he was buying steaks for $29 to $35 per pound, but now that number is $48 to $54. He said in order to make a profit, steak would have to be priced at $70, which business owners can’t stand to do as customers won’t buy it. While some owners have chosen to keep the price reasonable and take a loss, others have dropped beef off the menu altogether.

“You can make minor changes in price, ingredients, change your business hours,” said Jerry Lintz, a restaurant management instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. “There's other things to do rather than looking at cost-cutting. Cost-cutting carries a negative approach.”

The pandemic has brought many owners and managers back into the kitchen to help make meals, as labor costs have gone up along with inflation.

“We are doing a lot of the work ourselves,” Chef Nick Dawson of Barringer’s in Fish Creek told NBC 26.

Dawson added that he has never had a complaint about prices, as he delivers a high quality product, but that hasn’t made things easier for him. Many owners have gotten creative by turning to local farms and other alternatives. Dawson said this ability to adapt is a major part of the restaurant business, and is optimistic he will continue to find solutions as challenges arise.

“I'll always find a way,” Dawson said. “That’s kind of the magic of cooking, and that's why I love it, is that it is a constant problem-solving game.”