Menu Prices Spike at Some NYC Restaurants as Food Costs Rise

The cost of ingredients and other supplies surges for some NYC restaurants

Some NYC restaurants and bars are raising the prices on their menus in response to a surge in the cost of ingredients and other supplies, according to the New York Post. At the two-Michelin-starred Aquavit, owner Hakan Swahn tells the Post that the cost of some products has increased by 15 percent in recent months, which is reflected in the prices customers pay at the Midtown East restaurant. Ciro Casella, co-owner of San Matteo Pizzeria on the Upper East Side, also reported that some products necessary to running his restaurant — pizza boxes and tomatoes — are now 30 percent more expensive.

Nationally, consumer prices increased by 4.2 percent between April 2020 and April 2021 — the largest increase over a 12-month period in more than a decade, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. In New York City, an uptick in prices generally has more to do with the squeeze on suppliers, some of which condensed their operations to stay afloat this past year but are now facing pre-pandemic levels of demand from the city’s recently reopened restaurants and bars, according to the Post.

In other news

— Teranga has permanently closed its Dekalb Market outpost. The fast-casual, pan-African restaurant plans to reopen at a larger space in the borough, according to an announcement on Instagram.

— The Asian-American Federation and New Jersey-based group Challah Back Girls are leading a challah and momo cooking class this week to fundraise for AAF’s Hope Against Hate campaign. Register for the June 2 event on Eventbrite.

— After closing its doors in July, Gaia Italian Cafe is teasing a comeback. The neighborhood Italian restaurant reportedly plans to reopen as a “pickup spot” at an undisclosed location.

— Sunset Park dim sum mainstay Bamboo Garden reopens for indoor dining today. The restaurant is now open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

— Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will return this year as an outdoor, in-person event on the Fourth of July.

— In a city of human-proportioned, pizza-dragging rats, New York mice finally get their moment.

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