Why 2 Long Island restaurants are slashing menu prices by 20%

Mike Scotto, owner of Long Island’s Tony’s Tacos, gave himself time to do something most restaurateurs  usually don’t — get behind the register.

Inspired by his interactions with his customers over five months, he permanently slashed his menu prices about 20% as of Oct. 1 at the Italian-Mexican fusion restaurant's locations in Floral Park, Huntington, Franklin Square and Garden City.

Having started his restaurant four years ago, Scotto said there was sentimental value behind this decision: wanting to help families struggling with spiking food costs.

"Restaurants are struggling to get customers into the door because people don’t have extra money to spend on the luxury of a meal that used to be affordable," he said. "The reason I did the price cut is number one I want to get more customers into the door ... instead of giving money to advertising in general, I decided to give it back to my customers who support me through the creation of Tony’s Tacos."

The price in August for two tacos was $13.75; it is now $10.50. The family pack of 12 tacos, which used to cost $76.50, is now $59 and the taco box stuffed with 21 tacos that previously cost $120 is now $89.

Scotto isn’t the only restaurateur to reduce his prices. Marc LaMaina owner of the Lucharitos chainlet of eateries, said that he permanently lowered menu prices by 15% to 25%  across the board as well. He launched the lower rates at his Mattituck location two weeks ago and plans to roll out the newer rates in the restaurant’s Greenport, Center Moriches, and Melville locations on Oct. 29.

LaMaina took a different approach to slashing prices. He spoke with his three main purveyors, New Jersey-based Driscoll Foods, Holtsville-based DiCarlo Foods and Yaphank-based Peters Fruit, and asked them to work with him. He also worked with Rocky Point-based Cow Palace Butcher Shop to get to the "plate price we needed to get to."

"Without our purveyors seeing the need for that as community-based, as part of the whole, then it’s just not going to work, but the guys that we have on board with us right now have decided to work with us, so we’re excited about that," he said.

LaMaina and Scotto said they have seen foot traffic increase by 20% at their restaurants since lowering prices.

The current inflation rate isn’t what is hurting these restaurants’ coffers, said Martin Cantor,  director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy.

"Inflation is coming down," Cantor said. "It’s almost near the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%; it was 9.1% in 2022, ... what’s impacting restaurants is the inflation rate that’s being retained in the high cost of food; that’s up 21% since pre-pandemic."

Scotto hopes other restaurateurs follow his and LaMaina’s lead and "dive deep into their book and figure out a way to make it less expensive for customers."

"We should make dining affordable; we should make eating out and making memories with families affordable because that’s what hospitality is all about," Scotto said.