Other important factors in food costs include seasonal change and varying costs. Eating habits of customers change form season to season. For example, in August salad is the entree of choice due to the rise in temperature. In January we will see more steak type items from the grill. Varying costs include cheese, produce, and liquor.
Cheese is the principle and most expensive ingredient found in our recipes.
It is the managers goal to predict to the best of their ability the rise and fall of cheese cost. Yet, keeping in mind less on the shelf is more profitable than excess in storage. Other change in costs are product items such as avocados, lemons, and tomatoes. Factors such as droughts or floods hundreds of miles away can greatly effect us close to home. If our distributor cannot receive quality stock form one vendor we must look elsewhere and possible pay a higher price.