Rice price hikes worry restaurant owners, some pass costs to diners

Rice prices have begun to climb, causing restaurateurs concern about the cost of producing made-to-order meals. Despite this, some restaurants have opted not to increase prices, sympathising with their customers. They are instead appealing to the government to control the cost.

The Ministry of Commerce directed related agencies to balance rice prices after a lull in rainfall from El Niño and India’s suspension of rice exports, causing global market costs to rise.

Piriya Liaochareon, owner of a made-to-order food restaurant located in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province, says that she has been running her business for six years with the majority of her customers from local communities. She set the sale price for rice dishes at 30 baht per plate, with some deluxe meal choices priced between 40 to 50 baht, reported KhaoSod.

Each month, she has to buy two 15-kilogramme bags of unprocessed rice to sell to her customers and for family consumption. The sales price in July was 320 baht per bag. However, at the beginning of August, the selling price of rice was adjusted, an increase of 35 baht per bag. This makes a total of 355 baht, which equates to 2 baht per kilogramme.

Other ingredients aside from rice have also seen price increases – vegetable oil, sugar, flavourings, raw materials such as seafood and chicken eggs, as well as vegetables like kale, long beans, Chinese cabbage, parsley, and tomato. This added to a rise in gas cost to cook with, has led to an average meal cost increase of 10 – 20%.

Despite this, she has decided to sell rice dishes at the original price even though it costs her income because she feels bad for her customers. She, however, wants the government and related agencies to consider controlling the price of rice so as not to increase it too much.

“Rice pricing should not increase too much. If traders cannot bear the cost, this hardship will surely fall onto the consumers at the end of the day.”