SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local businesses are trying to navigate how 25% tariffs on Mexico will impact their day-to-day operations.
Cocina De Barrio in North Park is a Mexican food restaurant that imports a majority of their products from south of the border.
The restaurant chain has four locations in San Diego County. So far, they haven't had to increase their prices but are concerned the tariffs might force them to take action, if they continue for a prolonged period of time.
"All of our tequila and mezcal imported from Mexico, our produce, tomatoes, avocados, all of that comes from Mexico," said Karen Valenzuela, the restaurant's corporate general manager.
Valenzuela says the restaurant's suppliers haven't increased their prices, but she thinks it's only a matter of time before they have to.
"Once the new shipments start coming in, I'm thinking they still have the product still in stock of what they currently have, but once you know they start having to import them, I think we’ll start to see the price increase," says Valenzuela.
For now, the business is trying to determine how long it can absorb the cost before passing it on to the customers. They hope customers will understand if and when that has to happen.
"If it’s something that continues on, I think that we’ll have to, we’ll have to, as much as we don’t want to do it, we’ll have to," says Valenzuela.
