Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

With food prices rising, some Las Cruces restaurants are raising prices

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – Raw material costs may have gone up, but the piping hot cheese enchiladas at Andele Restaurant are the same price as they were before the pandemic.

“Because of the supply chain, there is a different challenge every day,” says Andrea Schneider, who has been running the restaurant for 26 years. “We haven’t increased our prices for three years.”

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of full-service meals increased 5.9% between October 2020 and October 2021. The price of fast food (meals with limited service) rose 7.1% over the same period.

From the salsa cups to raw meat, Schneider told ABC-7 that business costs have steadily increased during the pandemic. After losing about $ 1 million in sales between her main restaurant and Andele’s Dog House, she said she may need to increase her menu prices in 2022.

“That was a real challenge,” said Schneider.

Across town in Las Cruces, Burritos Victoria made the difficult decision to raise menu prices three weeks ago.

“We had to expand the entire menu just to keep business going,” explained manager Hindra Ponce. “Everything is going up.”

She said her cups, meat, and vegetables had become more expensive. Although no item on her menu has gone up more than $ 1, she says she is still worried that customers are not buying as much food

“Nobody wants to spend more than $ 20,” said Ponce.

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