Shrinking supply of cattle squeezes South Florida barbecue restaurants

Beef prices have hit record highs as America’s cattle supply has dropped to its lowest level in decades. Coupled with inflation and rising fuel costs, South Florida barbecue restaurants are struggling to manage expenses.

“For a restaurant that is heavily protein-based with pork, beef, chicken, it’s just been across the board, and it’s been a little bit of a struggle for sure,” said Jeff Kirsch, owner of Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q.

For 35 years, Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q has been a staple in Oakland Park, but Kirsch said soaring beef prices are threatening already thin margins.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average retail price for beef climbed to $9.64 a pound in April — up roughly 13% from last year. This increase comes as the U.S. is seeing the smallest cattle herd in 75 years, a situation partially driven by drought conditions and rising costs for farmers.

Kirsch said he has an “over $1,000 a month addition in my cost” and has been trying to avoid passing that increase along to his customers. “Inflation isn’t doing us any favors,” he said, noting that gas and transportation prices are contributing to a substantial impact on the cost of getting the cows to him.

At Joe’s Grill in Dania Beach, owner Hossein Jafarmadar said the price of brisket has doubled, climbing from $2.75 a pound to between $5.65 and $5.85 per pound. Jafarmadar said that on a busy day, his business goes through 70 to 80 pounds of brisket. He has been working to not pass the price increase on to customers for the last year and a half.

“I try to shop small, and hopefully, the price goes down, and we go back to normal business,” Jafarmadar said.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.