WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier this week, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) sent a letter to President Biden. The content of the letter highlighted how supply chain challenges and inflation are weighing down restaurant industry rebuilding efforts. The association then went on to suggest long-term solutions.

“Faced with these very challenging times, our industry is doing its level best to protect employees and customers, while restaurants are struggling to keep their doors open,” said Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “Taken together, these recommendations can work to help our nation’s restaurants that are being crippled as the pandemic rages on and supply chain challenges grow.”

According to a release, the letter highlights the current state of the industry, and how the drop in consumer confidence brought on by the delta variant this summer halted the small gains restaurants made earlier this year. Faced with this complication, restaurants are also facing massive supply shortages and delays amidst soaring food costs.

The association outlined several possible solutions:

• Facilitating impactful solutions to workforce challenges through comprehensive immigration reform and expanded employment opportunities
• Addressing transportation and shipping constraints by allowing more young people to enter the trucking industry as drivers
• Using trade and import capabilities, including removing burdensome tariffs on food and beverage products and equipment used in the supply chain

The NRA also noted that with nearly 95 percent of restaurants experiencing significant supply delays or shortages, operators have had to make menu changes to mitigate the issue. The association explained too that wholesale food prices increased sharply in September, posting the highest 12-month increase since 1980.

To see the letter in full, click here.

We’ll continue to be on the lookout for how the federal government will address these challenges.

National Restaurant Association