Today, the American National Restaurant Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo released this statement about the imposition of new reciprocal tariffs with U.S. trading partners, which will impact imported food and beverages to the United States:
“Applying new tariffs at this scale will create change and disruption that restaurant operators will have to navigate to keep their restaurants open. The biggest concerns for restaurant operators—from community restaurants to national brands—are that tariffs will hike food and packaging costs and add uncertainty to managing availability, while pushing prices up for consumers.
“Restaurant operators know consumers are very sensitive to costs and have kept menu price increases to 30 percent, while their food costs have gone up 40 percent in the last five years.
Stable Supply
“Restaurant operators rely on a stable supply of fresh ingredients year-round to provide the menu items their customers want and expect. Many restaurant operators source as many domestic ingredients as they can, but it’s simply not possible for U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce the volumes needed to support consumer demand.
“During this time of change, we’ll provide our members of all sizes with economic research to support their decision making and convene supply chain experts across the industry to share efforts for the best outcomes for restaurant consumers and the business viability of restaurants.
“The National Restaurant Association will also continue to share with the White House the real-life challenges these changes present for restaurant operators and ask to have food and beverages exempted from these tariffs.”
