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Restaurants Feel Pinch Of High Gas Prices
A popular Kansas City restaurant is closing because of the tough economy.
Scotty's is a fine dining establishment in the 39th Street area, known for its row of local restaurants. The owner of Scotty's told KMBC that he had to shut down because of high costs and a loss of business. He said he understands that times are tough and that more people are giving up meals that cost between $30 and $50 a person.
Other restaurant owners said it's a sad loss.
"They've been pinched much harder than we have, and unfortunately, customers have had to make some hard choices affecting them," said Don Foringer, owner of D'Bronx.
D'Bronx has a steady fare of sandwiches and pizza. The original location on 39th Street relies heavily on walk-in traffic. Foringer said that restaurant is still doing well, but two other locations have seen lagging sales.
"We've kept (prices) the same about as long as we can. At this point, it's been a little painful -- food costs have gone up in groceries and restaurants both, so customers are feeling it from both ends. So, we're trying to be considerate of that," Foringer told KMBC's Peggy Breit. "For us, we'll need to probably take a few price increases in a limited range, we're really going to try and keep it as low as we can and hopefully customers will understand that and keep coming back for great food."
Foringer said he thinks that as long as gas prices stay high, it will be hard for both restaurants and consumers to "weather the storm."
