Edmonton bagel shop pulls popular item from menu due to high beef prices

As food affordability continues to be a concern for consumers, Beb’s Bagels has had to take their most popular item off the menu indefinitely because of soaring beef prices.

“Three years ago when we started this we were paying $10 a kilogram,” said co-owner Lindon Carter. “We’ve seen the price go as high as $17 a kilogram.”

The smoke meat sandwich at the shop on Whyte Avenue is a customer favourite — so much so, Carter credits the item for helping them set up and run a physical storefront.

The eatery doesn’t accept tips, which Carter says is in order to provide a consistent paycheque to his staff. That, coupled with the rising food costs, left him to make a difficult choice.

“It’s devastating for a local shop,” Carter said. “We want to keep quality as high as we can, and that’s our decision.

“We could go with lesser quality meats for that sandwich in particular (but) decided to take it off the menu, because we just couldn’t justify that.”

Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander says inflation  has caused some foods to double in price in a generation, while income hasn’t kept pace.

“Canadians are concerned about cost of living and affordability issues. If it’s not the price end of things, it’s the income end of things and we’re really not focusing on that part of the story,” he said.

Bianca Millions has more on the bagel shop’s decision and what Lander says is Canada’s uncompetitive food market in the video above.