CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A shortage of workers and shipping issues appear to be the reason for soaring corned beef prices and nobody can predict where they’ll be on St. Patrick’s Day.
The owner of Jack and Pat’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop in Chicago Ridge called the price of corned beef “ridiculous.”
“I’ve been catering it probably for the last 20 years in some big churches like St. Germaine’s Church, St. Pat’s in Lemont, and St. Mary’s in Plainfield,” John Powers told CBS 2 Chicago.
But as things stand right now, that’s not happening.
“I’m refusing to do the corned beef,” he said. “Last year, it cost me like $470 from one guy, and up to $480. This year, it’s cost me $790 to $805,” Powers continued.
Manny’s Deli, known for corned beef, has raised the price of a sandwich by $1.
“When St. Patrick’s Day comes, hopefully it won’t go up too much more,” owner Dan Raskin said. “But we know we’ll have the product. We just don’t know the pricing yet.”
The production of corned beef is labor intensive and the cost of the brisket it’s made from has increased.
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