With inflation, chefs and owners are doing their best to keep the price of their food low. However, there are those who take advantage of the situation and, on the contrary, make double profits from the vulnerable position of the customer. Who are they and how do they think?
The hospitality sector, not only nationally, but also internationally, is trying to find more strategies and solutions to help professionals. Many restaurants have closed, whether after a short or decades-long history. Many have survived the epidemic and the crisis that followed, but the current rise in energy and raw material prices is now an insurmountable obstacle in many places. Associations, federations and organisations have emerged to bring the sector's stakeholders together to find common solutions, but this is not always successful. Most owners and chefs are cooperative and try to accept help and think as one. Sometimes, however, not everyone is honest and tends to find a common solution.
Caterers who are less fair to their audience
While the conscious and dedicated chefs work to find new suppliers to get a better price, all the vegetables are used. By creating menus that keep prices on favourite items and make up the shortfall elsewhere, others can take advantage of a difficult situation.
Wine importer and distributor Karen Harris has observed that some upmarket restaurants are buying cheaper wines, wines that would not have been served before.
One high-volume restaurant in Montauk, for example, decided to take Sancerre off the list because the prices were already too high and replaced it with another Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire. The prices remained the same on the menu, only the wine and its price changed. They buy a bottle for $7.75 and a glass for $16, so they make a huge profit.
Ryunosuke Jesse Matsuoka of Japanese restaurant Matsuoka and co-owner of Southampton's Manna, the Lobster Inn, says that negotiations with suppliers have allowed him to control prices and he is adjusting menu prices accordingly. For example, when the price of lobster dropped, he lowered the price on the menu. But some restaurants kept it high, all without the customer knowing. But with inflation, prices have gone up.
Chefs are trying to keep price rises to a minimum using the methods already mentioned. At the same time, they are also trying to keep their clientele, so that they do not feel the price increase to the point where they are discouraged from eating out. Many restaurants, however, have ignored this and have taken advantage of the loyalty of their public and regulars to raise prices as much as they are not ashamed to. Of course, the customer thinks that it won't be cheaper anywhere else, especially if they want quality, so they don't suspect anything. But the reality is different.
The chef community despises this kind of scamming and discord, but they are confident that in the long run it is not a worthwhile endeavour. Several restaurants have not denied the rationale behind their methods, arguing that their wealthiest regulars don't even look at their after-dinner bill.
Solutions to high raw material prices
Chefs fear that if they raise prices too high, the public will not leave their homes to eat out and will eventually run away from restaurants. Many people think that the more affluent class will not care about the price. Partly true, but the other half look at the price of a glass of wine precisely because they are looking after their wealth. Different methods and even greater awareness have been built into the hospitality industry. It's about small things like using vegetables to their full potential, being more creative in a sustainable way - even with meat-free dishes, or using vegetable washing water for irrigation. In summary: marketisation, more attention to seasonality, prices. Buying from local producers, who will pay back the loyalty, and preparing more, greener meals, which will save energy and raw material prices.
The day-to-day running and survival of the hospitality sector is currently incredibly difficult. But by working together and thinking together, it can be much easier and more profitable for everyone.
Source : www.kitchenrebbel.com
