MUNCIE, Ind. — The rise in gas prices coupled with inflation has businesses across the country feeling pain in their pocketbook.
Among those businesses are restaurants, whose structure (and income) were turned upside down during the pandemic and, as they say, when it rains it pours. Now inflation has presented a new challenge for restaurants, and higher prices for their patrons.
The National Restaurant Association reports menu prices have increased by 7% over the last year.
While many restaurants have been forced to bump up seemingly all of the prices on their menu, one Indiana eatery has come up with a creative way to make ends meet without increasing all of its prices.
The manager of Amazing Joe's Grill, located in Muncie, posted on the restaurant's Facebook page saying the restaurant will be temporarily charging 65 cents per loaf of table bread, which is typically complimentary with a meal.
The small charge is meant to cover rising costs, manager Mike Robinson explained in the post.
"Due to the current state of wholesale pricing we must implement a temporary charge for our table bread. I have decided to take this route versus taking another menu price increase, in hopes that the inflationary issues will subside," the post said.
On its website, the restaurant makes a promise that's written in bold and all caps, "You'll never waste a penny at Joe's." Despite the upcharge, the restaurant is keeping this promise as Robinson explained it's necessary to keep them in business.
"I know this will upset some and I am truly sorry for that, but if we are going to sustain another 14 years this is a must," the post said.
He added that he and his staff are as frustrated about inflation as the restaurant's patrons and asked that anyone wanting to air those frustrations, talk to him directly.
"PLEASE, don’t take your frustrations out on my beloved teams. Feel free to call me and let me have it…..but not them. PLEASE. We all hate it as much as you," Robinson said concluding the post.
The restaurant, like Americans across the country, hopes the inflationary issues soon subside and that this temporary upcharge can be a thing of the past.