CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As a restaurant owner, Murat Veziroglu, knows a thing or two about uncertain times.
“Chicken prices I remember, tripled in price, tripled. We didn’t want to increase prices, but what can you do?” Veziroglu said.
That was during the pandemic. Now there’s something else creating uncertainty — tariffs.
“Two months after I opened this branch location, now the tariff wars hit me,” he said.
Last week President Donald Trump’s administration announced tariffs on numerous countries, and this week he announced a 90-day pause on many of those tariffs, while maintaining the universal 10% tariffs to many countries, except China, with tariffs totaling 145%.
Veziroglu says these changes will affect his business.
“When you see the tariff wars and you have a lot of imported products, then it is always that your cost is going to be increasing,” he said.
But he has a plan. He’s switching to more than 90% of products made in the U.S. over the next month. He says he’s at around 50% right now.
“It’s the most secure way to secure business and secure prices, that’s the goal,” Veziroglu said.
His restaurant is Mediterranean fast casual with Turkish influences, and he says he’s going to have to comb through his ingredients and inventory.
“I use gloves all the time, I have to because of sanitation. Made in China, so what if the price of this doubles or triples?” Veziroglu said.
Other items like seasonings he says he’ll still import from countries with lower tariffs, like Turkey. He also plans to test new recipes like beef instead of lamb, but his customers’ preferences are his priority.
“I have to consult my customers. Do you like this recipe more or this recipe more? I’m going to go to new recipes, but if they don’t like the new recipes, I cannot switch,” he said.
Veziroglu says that by making changes now, he’ll be ready no matter what comes next.
“I’m trying to make the uncertain parts as little as possible, so that I can have more control over my prices and costs,” he said.
He says the recent pause on tariffs doesn’t make a difference.
“He didn’t say we changed our minds, he just gave a 90-day period,” Veziroglu said. “As a business owner, I don’t want to stay in an uncertain business. This is hurting me, it’s giving me headaches and nightmares.”
He opened a second location two months ago, has new people on payroll and says he can’t afford for his business to be unstable.
“My only intention is to keep my prices stable and my customers stable,” he said.
