What Can I Do to Navigate Menu Price Inflation?

This edition of MRM's "Ask the Expert” features advice from Buyers Edge Platform. Please send questions to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com.Restaurant menu prices continue upward as the U.S. Department of Labor reported an inflation rate of 7.5 percent on an annual basis. These rising inflation costs are impacting every industry, with restaurants being no different. Operators are being forced to make changes in an effort to navigate the price escalation. 

Restaurant and foodservice operators are feeling the pressure as Technomic reports that food and beverage costs have skyrocketed 13 percent over the last two years, while paper and packaging are up 11 percent. Technomic also reported that 45 percent of consumers say they usually pick restaurants with lower prices. But with rising food and supply costs, how can operators keep menu prices low when they have to pay more for…