Spike in tomato prices impacts Pittsburgh-area restaurants: "This is ridiculous"

With warmer weather outside, demand for tomatoes is on the rise, but the produce is costing a pretty penny, impacting some restaurants in southwestern Pennsylvania.

There are only so many large tomatoes left at Bubba's Gourmet Burghers and Beer in Southpointe. Owner Bubba Snider says its sister spot in Belle Vernon is all out.

"When they're gone, they are gone," Snider said. 

Snider said they had to make the difficult decision to hold back on buying more boxes for the time being, and that means no more tomatoes on your burgers or sandwiches.

It's because the costs are spiking. A week ago, one 25-pound box went from $25 to $65. This week, it jumped to $105, and he said the quality of the latest shipments has been subpar.

"I was like, this is ridiculous," Snider said. "I'm not going to spend all that money for tomatoes that aren't really good, that aren't going to make our burger blend better."

According to the Consumer Price Index, tomatoes are up nearly 23% compared to this time last year, and they're retailing for about $2.25 per pound, the most in eight years.

It comes after Florida saw a deep freeze during its peak season, and Mexico experienced wet weather during its growing season, shrinking the crop size.

On top of that, the 17% tariff on tomatoes from Mexico, along with increasing diesel and fertilizer prices due to the war in Iran, are not helping matters.

"We use tomatoes everywhere," Snider said.

For cherry tomatoes, that went up from $20 to $65 a case. Snider said he may have to bite the bullet to keep making their special bruschetta.

However, for both varieties, he's just going to wait and see as he continues to monitor the situation.

"When the prices come down and the quality comes back, we will absolutely bring them back," Snider said.

There is hope though, with some Florida growers saying they should be able to ship a new crop in the next couple weeks, which could provide some relief.