THIS STORY IS PART OF DINING EDITOR ANN CHRISTENSON’S 2023 BEST RESTAURANTS PACKAGE. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE FEATURE.
We all know food prices are rising; any trip to the grocery store in the past year-plus will tell you that. But somehow, seeing that on a menu feels like more of a gut-punch. The pasta dish that was $15 a few years ago is in the $20s now. Just try finding a good sandwich or salad for less than $12.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
In 2022, foods such as butter, eggs, meats and fish jumped in price anywhere from 5% to 32%, thanks to pandemic-related supply chain woes and war in Europe’s breadbasket. USDA forecasts have prices continuing to climb this year, though not as much as in 2022. It’s not just food, either: Prices for paper products or dishwasher soap may trickle down to menus, too.
Restaurants are adapting to hold the line. Bay View’s Lazy Susan is closing in April, but chef/owner A.J. Dixon planned her frequent menu changes with costs in mind: “When something got too expensive, I changed the dish and reprinted the menu,” she says. “I also have items on the menu that are very low cost that I can charge more for to help offset the costs of other items.”
Black Shoe Hospitality is striving for efficiency at its restaurants. “We’re utilizing products to the nth degree,” says co-owner/executive chef Joe Muench. “When we bring in fish, we’re trimming and using a lot of the trim pieces into products [such as] smoked fish cakes.”
Raising prices is often a painful step. “I want Sorella to be available to everyone,” says Kyle Toner, co-owner of the Bay View Italian joint . “It’s not a cheap night out, but it’s also not a blow-the-budget or expense account kind of place. Nothing is a cheap night out anymore.”
