Ahmed Abdulkadir used to stock his restaurant without thinking about it on his shopping list, but now a simple stop at the store is painful.
Commodity prices, from rice to cooking oil, have skyrocketed, leaving the restaurateur right in the store aisle wondering, “Okay, do I need it?”
“It hurts,” he said Wednesday morning, the beat and noise of prep work sounding behind him at Safia Restaurant, the restaurant his family runs on St. Boulevard. Laurent.
“It literally hurts to go to the store to know you’re spending $ 1,500 a day. It hurts and that’s a reality.”
Abdulkadir is far from alone. Ottawa restaurant owners said rising food costs make them tighten their belts, reduce portion sizes and weigh whether to pass on a percentage of the increase to customers.
Statistics Canada reported last month that Canadians paid 9.7 per cent more for food in April 2022 compared to the same month last year.
Commodities like fresh fruit have risen 10 percent, while pasta prices have risen nearly 20 percent.
Statistics Canada noted the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with rising fuel costs and bad weather in some growth areas.
“The price? It’s killing us now, especially Thai food and everything that comes from abroad,” said Bounnom Souphilavong, who runs Thai Flame Restaurant in Bells Corners with his wife and sister.
A box of coconut milk used to cost $ 38. That’s $ 75 now, he said. The prawns once cost $ 28 per pack. That’s $ 41 now.
Bounnom Souphilavong said rising food costs have pushed his family to consider raising prices at Bells Corners’ Thai Flame restaurant. (Dan Taekema / CBC)
They have seen a similar increase in the cost of cooking oil, from $ 20 for a 16-liter jug to $ 40 now, according to Souphilavong.
Her family is considering the best way to meet the challenge. Souphilavong said they are looking to raise prices or reduce the amount of food, but quickly said that serving less for more would make them feel bad.
Reduced lobster putin
At Petit Bill’s Bistro in Ottawa’s Wellington West neighborhood, the much-loved lobster poutine has shrunk.
A portion is now about 60 percent of its previous size, said co-owner Terry Fitzpatrick. The mix of fries, mascarpone sauce and seafood is now a snack, not a main course.
Fitzpatrick estimated that he has recently been paying 15 to 20 percent more for food, calling it a “big change.”
“I’m going all over town to find the best price I can for butter,” he said, adding that the restaurant has turned to Costco because of its constant prices. “I’ve been asking for it for two years.”
Customers have been “kind and generous,” Fitzpatrick said. But as things stand, he anticipates that the menus may look different in the near future.
“I think you’ll see restaurants … without pricing because everything will be market price.”
Bag of onions once $ 15, now $ 45
Abdulkadir has taken the plunge and has begun to raise prices slightly at Safia Restaurant in an effort to keep up with costs. Cutting ingredients and losing quality was not an option, he said.
They also search as far as Montreal and Toronto to find more affordable supplies.
Customers have been understanding so far, but some of the regulars who used to watch three times a month now only stop once a month, he said.
The fact that it is a family restaurant allows them to trust each other and keep labor costs lower.
Ahmed Abdulkadir shuffles the rice in the Safia restaurant. He said a five-pound bag of rice that used to cost $ 35 now costs about $ 45. (Dan Taekema / CBC)
Still, they can’t keep changing their prices, and when a bag of onions that used to cost $ 15 is now around $ 45, Abdulkadir is looking for a permanent solution.
“We have to find ways to make a profit because we are not [a] charity, ”he said, adding that the provincial and federal government should do something to support small businesses.
“This will hurt everyone if you don’t find a sustainable solution to fight inflation.”
Ottawa Morning11: 19 Restaurants first struggled with COVID, now with rising food costs.
Many restaurants did not survive the pandemic. And those who did now have to deal with higher food prices and spending-fueled diners.