Over the past few years, inflation has been on the rise globally and has now, more than ever, hit close to home by impacting small businesses in Bowling Green.
Inflation, by definition, is an overall increase in the average price of goods and services.
For small businesses, inflation can affect their daily operations, including pricing decisions and customer satisfaction. One business being affected is Bowling Green’s Sundae Station, a popular spot for locals to enjoy a cold, sweet treat.
Sundae Station is located at 1240 W Wooster St. It’s menu has varying items from cheeseburgers and hot dogs to sundaes and slushies.
Owner Shaun Crusa confirms that inflation has affected his shop, especially when it comes to the cost of the food.
“Food costs on the rise have been the biggest impact for us,” Crusa said. “The more our costs increase the more it affects our bottom line.”
The financial impact of inflation has left Crusa to make adjustments to his shop, such as price increases.
“We raised our prices this month to help absorb some of our increased costs,” Crusa said.
While sudden price hikes can be a difficult decision to make, Crusa emphasizes that “most items increased just 25 cents with some items increasing 50 cents depending on how much the cost of that item has increased.”
Though there were price raises, Crusa remains transparent with the public and customers of The Sundae Station.
“We put a post on social media explaining ourselves about raising prices. We explained that our costs have been on the rise steadily all year and that we have also increased wages by about 40% over the last five years. Our rent will increase Jan. 1 and we included that in the post as well.” Crusa said.
While higher costs are unavoidable due to inflation, Crusa mentioned that “the main plan to deal with inflation was raising our prices, which we just recently did.”
The Sundae Station owner said the community response after raising prices has been positive.
“Thankfully, I have not had any customer complaints about the increases, as most of them have seen it at many other local businesses as well, including at the grocery store on their own when purchasing food for at home,” Crusa said.
Crusa also emphasizes The Sundae Station’s approach to local competition.
“We have always kept our prices just below most competition in the area, giving us a little more wiggle room to go up. We stay very busy so that also helps us keep our prices a little lower since we have high traffic to bring in more sales to help absorb higher costs,” Crusa said.
As inflation continues to play a role in the local economy, The Sundae Station remains committed to being transparent with customers.
By carefully adjusting prices only when necessary, the shop hopes to continue serving the Bowling Green community it knows and loves, with the aspiration of keeping people coming back.
