SAN ANTONIO – Inflation and high prices at the grocery store aren’t new for people in San Antonio, but several restaurant teams in the city said they continue to hurt business.
Nick’s Tacos on New Laredo Highway on the South Side said the increasing costs could cause them to close their doors for good.
“When we started back in June, we were rocking and rolling all the way to October, and then, you know, the actual holidays hit, and then increased prices started going up with inflation,” Nick’s Tacos owner Regina Navarro said.
Navarro and her husband both own Nick’s Tacos and said that the price of meat and eggs has gotten too high to handle.
“Us buying meat, it’s really high,” Navarro said. “Eggs now they’re like $10, you know, a dozen, right? So we’ve been trying to make it on our own.”
They have avoided adding surcharges to their menu, stating they don’t want to push unnecessary costs onto customers.
However, some restaurants have implemented surcharges as the bird flu outbreak drives record-high egg prices nationwide.
Restaurants such as Jim’s Restaurants, La Panaderia, Taco Palenque, Tia’s Taco Hut, and more announced in February that they would implement surcharges on their menus.
Another local restaurant, Gilbert’s Mexican Restaurant, was on the verge of permanently closing in January but has since stayed open.
While the restaurant was able to avoid closing, they said problems in the industry continue to persist.
Navarro, who is also a pastor, said she takes pride in helping people experiencing homelessness near her restaurant.
The owners have a “Wall of Hope” where customers can prepay for other people’s meals, and have also given out hundreds of meals during the holidays.
Navarro said her ultimate goal is to open a nonprofit organization to combine her love of helping people with cooking.
"This is our dream," Navarro said. “But our vision wasn’t only just to have a restaurant; it was also to give a place of hope to the community, especially in this area."
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