On Labor Day, we ordered out from our favorite Asian restaurant.  The printed menu  warned  that unless you order $15 worth of food, they couldn’t make a delivery.  Seemed fair enough, and no problem, because your mouth waters as you scroll through the list of delicious goodies like Crab Rangoon, Seafood Soup, and Chicken with Almonds. Besides being the best Asian food in town (IMO), the prices have always seemed incredibly reasonable.  However, we were in for a surprise when they totaled the bill.  Warning! Old menus cause sticker shock.

The last time we ordered from that same restaurant was back in June.  At that time, the prices hadn’t changed at all.   This time, we didn’t have to worry about their predicament.  It was obvious they’d had to do something to make enough to stay in business.

Here’s the comparison of the price of a few menu items between June and September:

June:                                                               September:

Egg Drop Soup:                       4.50               5.00

Seafood soup:                          6.00             8.00

Egg Rolls                                     2.00              2.50

Crab Rangoon                          4.00              5.40

Total:                                       $17.50              $20.90

This amounts to a 13 % increase.  Wowza!  I thought inflation was supposed to have capped out at 9%.

In addition to the food costs, a delivery charge of $3.00 was added to the bill.  Since we only live 1.2 miles from the restaurant, this means that they’re probably netting around $1.50  for the short  trip to our house.  Obviously, gas and labor prices have escalated within  the past year or so.

I asked my husband if we should tip the delivery person, since we’re already paying a delivery fee.  He said, “of course.”  To verify his response, I googled the answer.  They said we should, so I threw in a few extra dollars. Then, of course,  the 8% sales tax was added on.

I’m not complaining about any of these price increases, because it’s a lot more expensive to run a restaurant than it was a few years ago, due to  costs of food and labor.  Consequently,  the consumer  should be prepared for  higher restaurant  prices.

But what if the inflation rate begins to fall—to something like 3%–and food costs come down?  Will prices come down at your favorite restaurant?  I think you know the answer.

Warning! Throw away those old  menus and get some new ones.  Otherwise, you’re in for a sticker shock when you pay the bill.