The manager of a popular Leeds city centre restaurant is “scared” of inflation as it continues to rise and rear its ugly head, doubling the prices of their produce.
To add insult to injury, the electricity bills at Tharavadu in Mill Hill, by Leeds Train Station, have quadrupled in the past six months. Manager Siby Jose, 42, has said the bills have increased from £1,500 a month to £7,000.
The sheer size of the South Indian restaurant has been working to their advantage, fortunately. They’d revamped the upstairs so they can serve 150 diners at any given time which has proven more cost efficient, so they haven’t had to increase menu prices yet.
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With the pressures of paying his 35 staff members, the responsibility weighs heavy on the shoulders of the Pudsey father-of-four, who’s originally from Kerala in South India.
Speaking about inflation, Siby said: “Last year we used to buy a box of tomatoes for £6.99 and it’s gone up to £12.99. It’s doubled.
“It’s really scary and I’m confused about the future. During the pandemic with the government’s support, we were confident we could overcome this but with the price increase we’re a bit scared with how it’s going to be next year.
“If the prices have more than doubled this year, what’s going to happen next year? There is a limit as to how much we can increase the prices on the menu and staffing. You can’t do much with the staffing, if it is busy then you need staffing. You can control staffing but not too much.”
Siby has been a part of the bustling South Indian restaurant since it opened in 2014. He’s said business has remained consistent as their regular diners are either commuters or families who use the nearby train station, coming from all over Yorkshire – as far as York, Huddersfield and Ilkley.
But he added they may be shocked to hear about the restaurant's energy bill. Fortunately gas is covered under a contract but electricity bills have been astronomical.
Siby said: “Expense wise, you wouldn’t believe it. We used to pay £1,500 electricity every month and it’s gone up to £7,000. That’s the last six months now.
“We are in credit but still…it’s almost £15,000 in a year to almost £100,000. It’s a massive increase, everything has increased.”
Has your business seen price hikes similar to this? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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