Deanne Pittman, Centretown News
Fresh vegetables are displayed in the produce section of Independent Grocer at 296 Bank St. The price of fresh produce is on the rise thanks to Canada’s weak dollar. After three decades of service, Maxwell’s restaurant on Elgin Street is closing its doors to rebrand and letting “something fresh” move into the beloved space.
Taking Maxwell’s place is a second location for Westboro’s Pure Kitchen, a vegan-vegetarian restaurant with only one year of experience in the Ottawa food scene.
The vegetable food and juice bar business is booming and general manager Kyle Cruickshank is confident in their market niche, but admits the low dollar is a concern for the investment.
To adjust to market prices, Cruickshank says the restaurant has adjusted the menu price of their Radical Cauliflower Wings, and is looking for creative ways to save money. Pure Kitchen is now stricter about portion control. It strives to mininmize waste and using the cauliflower stalk instead of only the florets.
“We’re not looking to become millionaires,” admits Cruickshank. “We’re only looking to provide people with good food.”
A loonie hovering around 70 cents and a continued drought in California are among the many complicated reasons for the high cost of produce, according to Queen’s University marketing professor Kenneth Wong.
“Businesses will pass on the price to the consumer or swallow it themselves,” explains Wong.
Wong, who also contributes regularly to Canadian Grocer magazine, says expensive produce will force consumers to “spend less or spend differently.”
Wong suggests buying local, Canadian-grown food, or else risk paying more to eat healthy.
And with value of the dollar only expected to sink further, Wong has some advice for lovers of broccoli’s cousin: “With all due respect, it isn’t our God-given right to eat cauliflower.”
The Food Institute at the University of Guelph predicts that Canadian households will spend two to four per cent or $345 more on food this year compared to last year.
Statistics Canada showed a similar overall increase in Ontario food prices, but fruits and vegetables saw an especially steep jump between October and November 2015.
While meat, fish, dairy, baked goods and cereals actually cost Ontarians two per cent less, fruits raised a sticky three per cent and vegetables climbed a bitter eight per cent.
Although vegan restaurants may be particularly sensitive to the fresh produce of sunnier destinations, a spike in produce prices affects all restaurants.
Two Six Ate on Preston Street change their menu seasonally and use storage produce from Ontario and Quebec so their prices can stay the same.
Clover Restaurant on Bank Street created feature dishes with better margins to encourage customers to walk in.
Further down on Bank, the Buzz Restaurant offered half-and-half deals in the past, where diners were given the option of both fries and salad with their burger.
Now, with the high cost of greens, patrons can expect a default side of salty house cuts unless they make a specific request for a leafy house salad.
Despite changes, Scott Mosley tells Centretown News he has not noticed negative customer feedback buzzing as restaurant manager Holly Johnson nods in agreement behind him.
“Our customers are willing to spend more for sustainable, ethically sourced, higher quality products when they’re eating out,” says Mosley.
On the other side of the coin, local farmers are thanking the sinking loonie for their raising fortunes.
Standing behind a tower of locally made fruit jams and a pot of steaming hot apple cider at the Lansdowne Farmer’s Market, Bill Barkley, owner of Barkley’s Apple Orchard, says business has actually improved.
For now, Centretown residents should look for local alternatives to imported foods to get the best bite for their buck.