Vancouver diners forced to increase prices due to rising food costs

A couple of eggs, slices of toast, bacon, and hash browns are a standard meal at any diner. But some Vancouver diner owners say the basic offerings are becoming more and more difficult to keep at a reasonable price.

Among the restaurants forced to raise prices in recent times is Lucy’s Eastside Diner. Carmen Salvador has been running the Main Street business for 12 years. The restaurant is named after her granddaughter, Lucy.

“Just recently, maybe last month that we raised the price. Because if we don’t do that, we’re not going to be here today,” Salvador said.

“Since last month our pricing went up 15 per cent and we don’t have a choice. We have to do it to make it,” she explained.

“I think we’re on a loss but we managed, we passed that and I think the inflation will be the same.”

Salvador says every week she gets an email from her food provider before she makes a new order, “but they don’t say how much – they don’t say the percentage. They will just say, they just warn you that it will go up.”

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Farther up Main Street at Fable Diner, owner and proprietor Ron MacGillivray says he’s seen his food costs increase between 10 to 15 per cent.

“You know, you think of like deep fryer oil. Right now, it’s almost tripled in prices,” MacGillivray said.

“So now we’re looking at maybe not having to deep fry items and different items on our menu,” he continued, adding, “every supplier has now increased our prices for delivery. And the minimum wage is affecting them.”

According to Statistics Canada, people paid 8.8 per cent more for food in April compared to the same time last year. Besides housing prices, the price of food drove the increase in inflation in Canada.

MacGillivray says some items have come off the menu because they can’t afford to sell them anymore.

“I mean challenging is a soft word. It’s almost impossible right now,” he said.

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MacGillivray says it’s becoming harder for diners to do what they’ve always done, like providing basic food for every kind of person.

“I mean, a diner like everyone has their own, you know, interpretation of what a diner is. A diner is like basically the first restaurant in the United States. It was Boxcar Diner from, you know, railcars,” he said.

“You want to feel comfortable at any time of the day and sit down and enjoy, like you say, like a nice quality meal. And it’s tough because we on one hand, we … need to raise our prices. On the other hand, we want to still be accessible to everyone.”

Salvador and MacGillivray both say that staffing also continues to be a challenge at their diners.

Salvador says once she figures that out, she’ll be able to stay open 24 hours again.

“I think it will make it, you know, just think positive in the business. But to be non-negative, they always think positive that you will survive this inflation thing. That’s it,” Salvador said.