Prices taking off at area restaurants

Well, what do you expect? Beef prices have jumped 11 percent from last year, and fruits and vegetables are up 4.3 percent. Restaurant owners usually try to avoid raising prices because they'll eventually come back down. But there's no sign of that happening anytime soon, and don't forget that the restaurant business is still trying to recover freom the recession. From the OC Register:

Making matters worse, commodity costs are forecast to soar even higher before the close of 2011. "I've never seen food, across the board, go up like this in 11 years," [said Joe Manzella, owner of TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea.] As a result, he raised prices a few weeks ago on a lobster dish and a few appetizers. Some items went up as much as 50 cents to $1. Sunday brunch at TAPS, considered among the best in quality and value in Orange County, increased by $1 to $35.95. Still, other dishes, including beef plates, remained unchanged. "It's a dance," he said. "You have to interrogate every dish."