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Had to choose between a 10% price hike on our signature sauce or swapping to a cheaper chili paste, and going with the paste was a mistake that cost us a regular's weekly order.
What's your go-to move when a key ingredient's cost jumps and you can't just raise the menu price?
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the_oscar6mo ago
Guess you learned the hard way that some corners are just too sharp to cut.
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sandrat246mo ago
Sometimes you gotta cut those corners to survive. Prices keep going up and customers want deals, so finding cheaper ways to make a dish is just smart business. Maybe @the_oscar has never had to make payroll during a slow month. If a small change keeps the doors open, most regulars will understand. You can always tweak it back later if there's real pushback, but you won't know until you try.
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rowan_roberts496mo ago
Man, that's a tough spot. How about trying a smaller portion of the original ingredient first, or maybe a special that uses less of it, to see if people notice? Like the_oscar said, cutting corners can backfire fast, and changing a signature item is super risky. You might lose more than one regular if the taste isn't right. Sometimes taking a smaller profit on that dish to keep its quality is better in the long run.
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