Kansas City barbecue restaurant raises beef prices

I’m embarrassed by our brisket pricing. But everybody’s doing it. It’s either that or you close your doors.

Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque owner Jerry Rauschelbach on having to raise prices at his Kansas City restaurant amid a 40-year high inflation rate.

• The price of one brisket sandwhich at the famous Kansas City BBQ four months ago? $10.95. The price today? $17.95. Note: This sandwhich contains 3/4 of a pound of meat.
• A note posted on the door of the Missouri restaurant reads: “Please trust that our meat costs are incredibly high making profits very hard to obtain. We are charging the least expensive price to you and yet stay open,” and notes that 70% of their business comes from beef products.
• Average beef prices in the U.S. have risen to record highs, and the USDA expects prices to continue to increase amid high demand.

Big Picture: The pricing pressures Rauschelbach’s BBQ restaurant currently faces reflects the impact inflation has on Americans — consumers and businesses alike — as the cost of goods and services have been on the rise for several months. In February, the inflation rate in the U.S. rose to a 40-year high at 7.9%.

Famed Kansas City barbecue joint tells customers: Don’t buy the brisket or burnt ends (The Kansas City Star)

Click HERE to read our previous Card Stack which shares more about inflation, which Investopedia defines as: “… the decline of purchasing power of a given currency over time.”