DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Historic inflation numbers are driving up the costs of goods everywhere. Supply chain issues and global events are only adding to the problem.
So, how are Palm Beach County restaurants adapting to the higher costs?
These days at Casa D'Angelo in Boca Raton, you might see different flavors with daily specials being tweaked just a little bit.
"Having those specials allows us the flexibility to not be locked in to having a product or having to remove it from the menu," said Jason Sobel, vice president of finance at Casa D'Angelo Restaurant Group.
The restaurant is raising prices to keep up with inflation.
"A steak that we used to pay anywhere between $25 to $30 a pound is now $50 a pound," Sobel said.
This is leaving a bitter taste in their mouths.
"It's frustrating as a business because you rely on projections and data and things are just completely out of whack right now," Sobel said "So, it's tough to do what we need to do."
But for Casa D’Angelo, it's about quality, not the price.
"Our customers understand when they are coming here that they are getting the finest quality anywhere around," Sobel said. "We don't want to have any restraints on what we can serve them. We will never compromise on that."
Meanwhile, at El Camino Mexican restaurant in Delray Beach, they're vowing to keep their prices the same not only on their menu but also on their daily happy hour specials.
"We didn't change any product," said Francis Lake, vice president of operations at El Camino restaurants. "We stayed tried and true to our ingredients. That's been the simple recipe."
Instead of increasing prices, El Camino is adapting, keeping their $5 drink and food specials and working with suppliers.
"We've made strong partnerships with our local vendors that provide those to us, so we've been able to lock in pricing," Lake said
They say with added catering and to-go orders, they have been able to offset raising prices.
"We recognize our guests by passing on the value continuously, so it was easy for us to adapt with the rising costs," Lake said.
Both restaurants said they plan to closely monitor the markets to ensure customers are getting what they are paying for.
