The owner of New Dehli Restaurant in San Francisco is always ready to welcome diners, but now he’s worried that the prices of goods he needs to make signature dishes will rise. Christie Smith reports.
The owner of New Delhi Restaurant in San Francisco is always ready to welcome diners, but now he's worried that the prices of goods he needs to make signature dishes will rise.
"We love using products were authentic; most of them are from India, so we have a spice company [...] so we import a lot of these ingredients from India," Ranjay Dey said. "Twenty-six percent across the board is going to affect us in a deep way."
Dey, who's the owner and chef, said he's taking steps to prepare and save off the bigger bills for a while now that President Donald Trump implemented new tariffs.
"Look in my back, you know we just got our supplies. I quadrupled my order today," he said. "So that we can have a certain stock for a longer time before those prices start [to] skyrocket."
He hopes to not pass rising costs onto customers and is considering other options. Like other businesses, Dey said he's seen how the city';s challenges have affected foot traffic.
However, he's also noticed some positive trends and hopes to see those continue.
On Friday, San Francisco Restaurant Weeks is set to get underway and provide a chance for many to celebrate the rich flavors at establishments across the city.
There are over 200 eateries taking part in the event.
"This is a good time to go out and support your restaurants and take advantage of those special menus that aren’t normally there, and yeah, it's supercritical we still have customers coming in," said Laurie Thomas with the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
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Thomas said she doesn't know exactly what impact the tariffs will have.
"We’re just hoping that uncertainty just quickly settles and people feel a little more secure," Thomas said.
Dey said all he can do now is watch and wait to see what comes next.
"It's a very difficult situation. After COVID people are price-sensitive already," he said.
