Introduction
Inflation has been a major issue for many businesses, including restaurants. As prices for ingredients and other supplies increase, restaurants are forced to make tough decisions in order to stay afloat. Unfortunately, this often means cutting corners and serving lower quality ingredients. In this article, we’ll explore how inflation has impacted the restaurant industry and what you can do to make sure you’re getting the best quality food. We’ll also provide tips on how to identify restaurants that are still serving high-quality ingredients, so you can make informed decisions when dining out.
In 3 Restaurants Now Serves Lower Quality Ingredients Due to Inflation — Eat This Not That
As the cost of food continues to rise, many restaurants are now serving lower quality ingredients in order to keep their prices competitive. This means that customers are not getting the same quality of food that they used to, and it can be difficult to know which restaurants are serving the best ingredients.
The good news is that there are still some restaurants that are committed to using the highest quality ingredients, even in the face of rising costs. Here are some tips on how to identify these restaurants and what to look for when you’re eating out.
Look for Local, Organic Ingredients
One of the best ways to ensure that you’re getting the highest quality ingredients is to look for restaurants that use local, organic ingredients. Local ingredients are fresher and often have more flavor, while organic ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Many restaurants are now offering organic options, so be sure to ask your server if they have any.
Check the Menu for Specialty Items
Another way to identify restaurants that are using higher quality ingredients is to look for specialty items on the menu. These items are usually made with more expensive ingredients, such as imported cheeses or specialty meats. If a restaurant is willing to invest in these ingredients, it’s a good sign that they’re committed to providing the best quality food.
Ask About the Source of the Ingredients
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your server or the chef about the source of the ingredients. Many restaurants are now sourcing their ingredients from local farms and producers, so they should be able to tell you where the food is coming from. This is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the freshest, highest quality ingredients.
By following these tips, you can make sure that you’re eating the best quality food, even in the face of rising costs. So the next time you’re eating out, be sure to ask questions and look for signs that the restaurant is using the highest quality ingredients.
If the flavors have felt slightly off at your favorite restaurant lately, it may not be your imagination. An eye-opening new report on the state of the restaurant industry entering 2023 reveals economics have started influencing ingredients in a major way.
Countless households had to tighten their budgets last year due to rampant inflation, and it was no different for restaurants. Everything cost more in 2022, from food and labor to simply keeping the lights on and the stove hot.
How did restaurants of all shapes and sizes cope? Food service industry point-of-sale system Toast’s latest Restaurant Industry Outlook Report tells us 30% of both full-service and quick-service restaurants have resorted to using cheaper ingredients.
While we can all relate to the restaurant industry’s desire to cut down on costs and save some money, cheaper ingredients almost always translate to a lower-quality meal. No one wants that when they walk into a restaurant.
Trading out the usual ingredients for cheaper alternatives is just one-way restaurants are staying afloat in the current economic climate. Many eateries have even cut down on their inventories (34%) and menu items (31%). Even more (36%) have had to raise prices.
So, it seems restaurant patrons nowadays must feel the effects of inflation one way or another; whether it be a bigger bill or a less tasty, lower quality meal. Perhaps James Watts, CEO of Own The Grill, said it best when he told The Food Institute that “no one can afford to work in restaurants, and no one can afford to eat in restaurants.”
All of this paints a fairly bleak culinary picture of the restaurant business, but the industry is actually performing incredibly well considering we’re just a couple years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The industry is well on its way to pre-pandemic numbers,” Hospitality Works founder Isidore “Izzy” Kharasch, an industry consultant in Chicago who has worked with over 700 restaurants, told GO Banking Rates.
Restaurant sales may finally be reaching pre-pandemic numbers, but the problem is those sales don’t hold the same value due to inflation. For example, the National Restaurant Association predicted the restaurant industry would generate $898 billion in sales last year. At first, that looks like a major improvement over 2019’s $864 billion, but once we factor in inflation, that $898 billion is actually less than the industry’s typical pre-pandemic numbers.
A few other relevant inflationary restaurant statistics from last year: Labor costs increased by 15%, wholesale food prices went up by 17%, and average rent jumped up by 15%. Considering numbers like those, it’s easy to understand why 1 in 3 restaurants have opted to go with cheaper ingredients.
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John Anderer