What’s happening?
Baltimore restaurant owners gathered for a roundtable sponsored by Goldman Sachs on Monday afternoon to discuss the challenges they’re facing since the pandemic began. Among other gripes, they vented their frustrations with delivery apps and government officials giving short notice when implementing new COVID-related restrictions.
What’s their biggest concern?
According to The Baltimore Sun, the restaurant owners were most concerned about the increased cost of literally everything—from to-go containers to crabs legs.
Dana Sicko, the owner of Gundalow Gourmet in Whitehall Mill, said packs of rubber gloves skyrocketed from $18 to as high as $90. Gail Furman, the owner of Fells Point’s Max’s Taphouse, saw the cost of chicken wings surge 3.5 times its usual price.
Their increased costs are trickling down to customers, who were already sensitive about how much they pay for food. “For us to serve a crab cake we would have to charge $50,” said Furman, who decided to take the item off the menu.
Anything else I should know?
This isn’t happening in Baltimore, alone. According to a national survey from Goldman Sachs, 83% of small-business owners reported a jump in the costs of running their businesses—almost 50% of them were forced to raise their prices.
Some owners, including Khari Parker of Fells Points’ Connie’s Chicken and Waffles, are cutting costs by asking employees to be more efficient in how their businesses are run such as being more mindful of what’s thrown away. “If this is a temporary change, we don’t want to make a permanent change to the prices,” he said.
You can read more here.
