In the face of rising food and labor costs, many restaurant chains have made a difficult choice: raise menu prices or cut costs in the kitchen. An increasing number of brands have opted for the latter, a practice customers have dubbed “skimpflation.” They quietly switch to lower-quality ingredients, hoping diners won’t notice the change in taste or texture. This strategy, however, often backfires, as loyal customers with discerning palates quickly detect the decline in quality and take to social media to voice their disappointment.
