Lettuce talk about salad prices

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This article was published 28/11/2022 (794 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Yvonne Nakoulas never thought she’d take her famous Greek salad off the menu, but the high price of lettuce forced her to make the costly decision.

“It’s been terrible,” said the owner of Kristina’s on Corydon. “For a couple of weeks, we didn’t have lettuce.”

When supply costs tripled and the quality diminished, the owner decided to take salads off the menu — a decision, she said, that turned customers away.

“We just put it (salads) back on the menu last week because everyone was getting so upset,” Nakoulas said.

The spike in lettuce pricing is the latest setback for the industry dating back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nakoulas said she spent her savings keeping the restaurant open through the pandemic and isn’t entirely back on her feet yet.

“We just came through a pandemic where we were like already crippled,” Nakousal said.

“I just need my customers to forgive me if I increase my prices.” Nakoulas said. “It’s not me that’s doing that. It’s the market that’s doing that.”

Since returning to the menu, salad prices have risen by $0.75 to $1.25 to compensate.

For the most part, diners are recognizing the bind restaurants are in, and are more tolerant of unavailable products, said Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

“You see more people when items are pulled off the menu people just go to the next item that is appealing to them,” Jeffrey said. “There is only so much you can raise your menu prices before it becomes unappetizing to people.”

North America’s main supply of lettuce comes from California, where a disease wiped out most of the state’s crop, driving prices higher.

Jeffrey says these products are still available, but the quality is an issue.

“When there is a lack of availability obviously the quality tends to go down too, because you’re playing with a limited supply,” Jeffrey said.

Munther Zeid, owner of Food Fare, said his stores continue to sell all types of lettuce, but quality and price still suffer.

“One time it was oranges, sometimes it’s tomatoes,” Zeid said. “It all depends on the weather and what’s happening and who’s growing.

“The price was shocking at first for most customers, but lettuce is still selling,” Zeid said. “I’ve seen lettuce prices this high (before), but it hasn’t lasted this long.”

Zeid said the biggest struggle has been bringing in head lettuce, as the quality has changed drastically.

“Like I mean, when I pick one up, I don’t even think it weighs a pound and normally it’s a nice large heavy pad,” Zeid said. “Right now. They’re very, very small and very, very light.”

Zeid says people won’t see change until the suppliers switch growing regions, such as to Arizona, which should start at the beginning of December.

“What does that mean? Does that mean like the first of December or the middle,” Zeid wonders? “But we just know that in December they switch areas.”

Another local restaurant owner, Cindy Makridis of Cindy’s Burgers and Subs, said when she can’t find lettuce, the restaurant doesn’t sell any salads.

“For two weeks we had no salads because I couldn’t get any lettuce,” Makridis said.

Salad prices have increased by $3 — the only option being Greek because she says she cannot find romaine — but burger prices remain the same.

“Doesn’t matter what the price is, we have to have lettuce for the burgers,” Makridis said. “Lettuce makes a Fat Boy. Without lettuce, you can’t sell a Fat Boy.”

Makridis says customers understand price changes and menu shortages.

“Everybody knows. They go shopping so they understand,” she said.

fpcity@winnipegfreepress.com