Halpern Comments on Tariff Challenges and Strategies for Restaurants

Jay noted the variety of food products affected, including Stevia, fruits, juices, and spices, many of which originate in China, as well as furniture, fixtures, kitchen equipment and their components.

Jay said that there is no easy way to mitigate the effects of tariffs and solutions such as increasing prices or adjusting menu offerings need to be implemented carefully to avoid putting off customers.

So how can restaurants alleviate the strain tariffs is putting on their bottom lines?

Jay said a mix of strategies, like being flexible with their menu items and ingredients needed, can help. He added that maximizing efficiency in the parts of their business that they can control, implementing new tools such as artificial intelligence supply chain management and faster check and credit card processing solutions.

Jay added that lessons restaurants learned during the COVID-19 pandemic can also apply.

“The sooner they start brainstorming solutions, such as menu innovation, sourcing locally, having back-up suppliers, and renegotiating current contracts, the better,” he said.

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