by TONY KIM
Unfortunately for all those Korean barbecue lovers out there, many restaurants will once again be raising the prices of galbi, grilled dishes typically served with marinated ribs. Prices are set to increase around $45 per serving of galbi.
According to the Korea Times, rising demand for beef and the recent bump in California’s minimum wage from $8 to $9 have mainly been responsible for the inflation in prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also said that drought conditions in California and disease have also been factors in the meat inflation.
“We purchase only prime-grade beef, but galbi already costs more than $10 per pound,” an unnamed Los Angeles Koreatown restaurateur told the Korea Times. “The prices are an issue, but there’s also a problem with supply when so many people are looking to buy it.”
Chosun Galbee will price a serving of non-marinated galbi at $44.99 and marinated galbi at $43.99; Genwa will price it at $42 per serving; Soowon Galbi will raise a non-marinated serving to $42 and marinated serving to $40; and Park’s BBQ will price a serving of non-marinated galbi at $42.
However, Korean barbecue restaurants aren’t the only ones raising prices, as both In-N-Out and Chipotle also recently announced that they would follow suit as the prices of fresh vegetables, beef and dairy products are also rising. Livestock supplies are at an all-time low since 60 years ago and this drastic increase of beef prices in the past few years is likely to continue.
“I knew meat was becoming pricier, but I didn’t think it was to this extent,” a Korean customer surnamed Lee told the Korea Times. “One of the pleasures of living in America as an immigrant was being able to eat as much meat as I wanted to, but now that’s becoming a thing of the past.”
Photo via Maangchi
