How inflation is impacting Mid-Michigan food trucks
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - From fuel to food, the price of just about everything is up right now. And it’s causing inflation to reach a new four-decade high. For those in the business of selling food from a food truck, it’s a double whammy of high prices.
Read: Why US inflation is so high, and when it may ease
Fire and Rice, Smoke ‘N Pig, and many other food vendors came out to share their snacks, entrees and deserts Wednesday. Local food vendors said that the rising prices of food and gas has impacted their business -- but some said their customers will never even know.
“We try not to let it affect our prices. We want to keep our prices the same. We like to do $5-ish for everything, and we’d like to keep it that way,” said Alex Crippen of Tin Cup Café and Creamery.
Crippen said the lattes and the fan-favorite donut ice cream sandwiches won’t cost more next time you stop by -- even though they may be paying more for food and gas.
Kimberly Wood was getting food from On the Roll food truck while waiting for her husband to play in the band. She said she wanted to try just about everything out there -- and wouldn’t care if prices were higher.
“That would not deter me at all. And I don’t think it would deter any other people either,” said Kimberly Wood.
“Supporting local businesses. They’ve gotta keep going. These vendors are out here working hard. If we support them, they stay in business. So regardless of inflation, just work a little harder and support them a little more,” said local resident, Mitch Olson.
And it’s that kind of support that keeps Ofilia Diaz going.
“The customers have been wonderful. I mean wonderful. They say ‘we like it, we gotta buy it,’” said Diaz.
But Ofilia Diaz said she’s had to raise prices at her store front location in Lansing because she’s paying more to make the food.
“The price of food to make a burrito costs quite a bit more now and we’ve had to raise our prices on everything,” said Diaz.
Some vendors at the Holt Food Frenzy said they chose to reduce their food prices just to make sure everyone had something to try at the event.
The United States has gone through inflation worse than this, but not in decades. The Consumer Price Index found that food prices have gone up about 12% since 2021 -- the largest 12-month increase since April 1979.
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