TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa area restaurant owners are struggling under the weight of inflation as they try to run their businesses, keep prices reasonable and make money.
Tally Alame, owner of Tally’s Good Food cafe says it’s costing more money to keep his restaurant running as usual.
“I can hang on for so long, but it’s getting to the point where it’s getting ridiculous,” Alame said. “The good ol' days where the bag of potatoes were $4.50 for 50 pounds and now you have $63."
Tally’s has been at the corner of 11th Street and Yale in Tulsa since 1987. Inflation has started to eat at the profits and Tally’s wallet.
“For eight months I haven’t changed my prices,” said Alame. “Why? I would rather see this place full not empty.”
Longtime customer Margaret Brandys says she’s been coming to Tally’s for as long as she can remember.
“It’s hard to pass a chicken fried steak up,” Brandys said.
She was with her nephew who covered the meal. She says rising prices at the grocery store and gas pump have made it harder for her to eat out as frequently.
“Can’t come as often as I’d like, but I come as often as I can,” she said.
The Consumer Price Index, an important gauge of inflation, says from September 2021 to September 2022, there has been an 11 percent change in the cost of food overall.
Food at home — meaning the grocery store — has gone up 13 percent. Food away from home — like at sit-down restaurants — has climbed 8.8 percent in that time.
“Eggs go up that’s number one,” Alame said. “Bacon up. Chicken up. Oil and butter, it’s just unbelievable.”
He said he sometimes has to go to different stores to find items cheaper than buying them from his distributor. He says it takes time to location and shop for the best deals.
“I try to do it so I can keep the cost down and my customers don’t have to pay so much,” Alame said.
New York Bagel Cafe owner Joe Trizza has seen the impact firsthand.
“Cream cheese and flour are our main ingredients,” Trizza said. “Cream cheese is up 100%, flour has been as high as 60% higher.”
He said they’ve seen a substantial increase on several items, like cream cost, that now cost hundreds of extra dollars every week.
“That comes out of my pocket not a corporation, so it affects my income at my house,” Trizza said.
He says they’ve raised prices a bit, but not enough to cover the difference. He also gave his staff raises to keep up with their costs of living.
“It’s just kind of a double whammy for me,” he sid. “I have to take care of them also be conscious of our customer and what they can spend so it’s crazy.”
The business owners and customers are hoping to see a change quickly.
“It’s getting really hard to live, but I know God will find a way,” said Brandys. “He always does.”
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