There is an oil bottleneck in the hospitality industry. If it is available, then only at very high prices. It’s getting tight for Vienna’s favorite dish. And butter, like other staple foods, also shoots up in price.
While there was still hope for a post-corona revival after the openings in the catering industry, the mood is now subdued again. The main reason is inflation.
“The situation is precarious,” says Martina Haslinger-Spitzer, owner of the inn “Frohes Schaffen” in Vienna-Floridsdorf. She has been serving her guests homemade Viennese dishes for 26 years. As is known, large amounts of frying fat are required for this. This is exactly where the problem lies: prices have risen sharply since the beginning of the year. “In January I paid 28.90 euros for 20 liters of frying fat, last week 72.90 euros,” says the owner.
Rations are also a problem for the landlady
And it’s not just the high prices that hinder the 46-year-old, but also the rationing. It was completely sold out last week. About 100 liters are consumed in the inn every week and the fat in the deep fryer is changed every two days. “It has to be, after all, I want to be able to offer my customers good quality,” says the restorer. This is getting more and more difficult.
So far she has been able to keep the prices for her guests, but if energy prices continue to rise in the autumn, she will have to recalculate. “Then we will certainly lose guests,” fears Haslinger-Spitzer.
Butter also shoots up in price
The inflation spiral is taking its course. According to Statistics Austria, the price of schnitzel in gastronomy rose by 10.8 percent in June compared to the same month last year. And it will probably get even more expensive. And the price increases aren’t just dramatic for oil. The “Krone” analyzed the development of the federal indicators of Statistics Austria, the basic food prices rose continuously (see graph).
The price development of butter in particular shows that the upward trend continues unabated. It cost 11.9% more in January 2022, 21.6% in February, 21.4% in March, 25.7% in April, 30.6% in May and 36.3% in June than in the same month of the previous year. And despite the upward trend, the peak of inflation madness is not yet in sight.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
