When you think of Mexican food or pizza, it's hard not to think of a key ingredient: tomatoes
MARQUETTE -- It was another morning just before the Border Grill restaurant opens in Marquette. Although the preparations are the same, the restaurant is gearing up to debut a new salsa, Thursday.
"We created one that we're really happy with, and so we're going to substitute that product for the Border and pico that comes with our burritos and our quesadillas and our nachos,” said Border Grill owner, Dan Torres.
And that's because of a recent increase in the price of tomatoes. A crate containing 25 pounds of tomatoes cost $9.50 last Wednesday and a staggering $29.75 just two days later.
So the restaurant is making changes--they have increased the prices of their salads slightly, invented a new salsa, and they will be substituting canned tomatoes for 50 percent of their tomato supply.
"Canned tomatoes, the pricing isn't as volatile as the fresh product, and those are pretty stable so that's the biggest change," Torres said.
Torres also says he's heard a freeze in Mexico is to blame for the limited supply and rising prices.
And it's the same story at Vango's Pizza in Marquette. A crate of 40 tomatoes cost $18 last week but this week costs as much as $50. So what are they doing differently? You might be surprised to learn: nothing at all.
"We have not made any changes yet. You know, we have this philosophy that there are no shortcuts to good cooking," said Vango’s co-owner, Michele Butler.
But if tomatoes stay pricey, the restaurant might consider asking if customers would like tomatoes on their dishes.
Both restaurants anticipate that the cost of tomatoes will decrease soon.
"Until the next Florida crop kicks in, which is in probably another six weeks from now, that's going to be the situation," Torres said.
"We're being told three or four weeks on the onset, and we'll see prices starting to come back down,” Butler said. “That's the hope."
Until then it's a new approach to some dishes at Border Grill and a wait-and-see attitude at Vango's Pizza.
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