American-style restaurants across the world turn to other countries for ingredients

Charles de Pellette, Operations Director of the restaurant, poses for a picture next to U.S. beef and pork in a smokehouse, at Home Plate BBQ, an American-style restaurant, in Beijing, China April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Tiffany Le - (REUTERS)

At Home Plate BBQ, an American-style restaurant in Beijing, staff are reprinting menus. The U.S.-China trade war means American beef - once the star ingredient - will soon be off the table.

Home Plate's beef, previously sourced entirely from the U.S., is increasingly Australian. The restaurant uses about 7 to 8 tonnes of brisket each month, and when the U.S. beef in the freezers is used up in a few weeks, the southern-style BBQ restaurant will only serve meat from Australia.