NEW YORK — Beef may not be what’s for dinner at your favorite restaurant come 2009. Restaurants, now working to secure supply and price contracts for meat and other commodities for next year, are expecting big increases in food costs, which will likely lead to menu changes and price hikes.
Some chains are already adjusting menus to reflect current high costs for beef and chicken. CKE Restaurants, which runs the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains, stopped offering Double Cheeseburgers in its 2-for-$3 promotion at the end of August and replaced them with Jumbo Chili Dogs and Hot Ham ‘N’ Cheese Sandwiches to avoid selling pricey beef at a lower price.
Even McDonald’s is considering making some changes to its popular dollar menu by either changing the items on the menu or bumping up prices. The Associated Press
