Al Laudencia is in the business of selling meats.

Hamburgers topped with pulled pork and beef brisket. St. Louis-style pork ribs. Hot beef sandwiches. Smoked chicken. Pork tenderloins.

You name it, Laudencia sells it at Big Al’s BBQ in Adel. 
Or, at least, he wants to sell it.

The limited supply of numerous kinds of meats is making it hard for Laudencia to know day in and day out what menu items to serve. And the rising costs are forcing him to consider raising prices. 

“While I could raise prices, it means customers pay more, and many of my customers are without jobs,” Laudencia said during last week’s virtual discussion with Rep. Cindy Axne about the state of Iowa’s restaurant industry. “Even those who are working are seeing higher prices [at the grocery store]. 

“How are they going to respond to me raising prices?”
Laudencia was not the lone voice expressing concerns about rising prices and limited supplies. 

In early May, Scott Valencia, who operates the Historic Northside Cafe in Winterset, announced in a social media post that his restaurant’s menu would be adjusted on a daily basis. 

“You will need to call and check availability of products we have,” he told customers. “We may have to take things off our menu on a daily basis.”
The consumer price index report released in May by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in April, the price of meats, poultry, fish and eggs – products heavily used in the restaurant industry – rose 6.8% in the past 12 months, the steepest increase of all food groups.

The closure of meat processing plants and slowdowns in production because of workers sick with the novel coronavirus have contributed to the increased prices and limited supplies. Panic buying has affected supply. Farmers have had to euthanize animals because of the closed processing plants.
Economists have said they expect the higher prices and limited supplies to continue for several months.

Valencia, during the discussion with Axne, said he doesn’t know from day to day what meats will be available or how much they will cost.