Don’t be surprised if for the next few weeks your burger is lacking a sweet tomato crunch or your BLT is just a BL. The recent storms that ravaged the east coast damaged up to 70% of Florida’s tomato crops, driving the price up up up. Some fast food chains have already cut the red fruit from their sandwiches, and others are using different varieties that may not have the same taste or texture. Luckily, tomato based products like canned sauce and ketchup haven’t been as affected, as these products are generally made from tomatoes from other parts of the country.
To put it in perspective, when we reported on the tomato shortage back in November, Packer reported that a 25lb box of 5×6 tomatoes went from $17.95/box to $25.95. Today we’re seeing prices ranging averaging from $33.44 to $41.37, depending on quality. Bad news for gazpacho.
While ChefMod has seen a jump in prices, tomatoes are available for our customers. The Florida supply will likely remain rocky until April when farmers harvest new crops, but until then, Mexican varieties are the bulk of the supply.
Check out this article…it’s offering some examples of what operators are doing about the rising prices of tomatoes. I like the comment by one of it’s readers suggesting that restaurants don’t lower prices when prices drop suddenly.
It’s true, and as owners of restaurants, we are challenged with the fluctuating prices of all commodity items. Our menus should be able to whether the swings. That said, I don’t know about a Subway franchise, but if I owned a gazpacho concept, I would be hurting!
check it out… http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2010/03/some_restaurants_go_easy_on_to.html