Donald Trump tariffs hit millions of Americans as their favorite alcohol vanishes from menus
Lovers of one particular type of alcoholic beverage might be out of luck, as US President Donald Trump's pesky tariffs strike again with restaurants removing the drink from menus across the nation.
Much of the focus on Donald Trump's controversial tariff plan has been its impact on leading industries, with the economic political policy forcing companies in the technology and automotive sector to significantly shift production or pay the cost.
There has been plenty of painful anecdotes where small businesses have seen their costs increase exponentially purely as a result of raised import tariffs, yet President Trump has remained firm in his belief that the policy is the way forward for America.
One area that you might not necessarily have expected to see an impact, however, is in the restaurant world — yet tariffs have threatened many alcohol lovers with the removal of their favorite drink as it simply costs too much money for some restaurants to stock going forward.
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As reported by Reuters, restaurants are increasingly being priced out of certain types of wine, forcing them to adjust their stock or change their menus completely in reaction to increased prices.
It specifically affects certain brands of champagne and cremant that have remained popular across America for decades, with the New York-based Kent Hospitality Group forced to make an unpopular decision.
Many of these drinks are sourced and imported from Europe, yet with Trump's tariff rate set to at least 10 percent for most items following a US-EU trade deal, and it has simply become unfeasible.
Prices were increasing by at least $3 to $5 per bottle for the exact same product, with some going up by as much as 20 percent following the implementation of the tariffs, forcing Kent Hospitality Group to opt instead for cheaper options on the menu.
Alcohol sales in the United States have already been on a downward trend across the last few years, and its only so long that businesses can continue to eat the cost of tariffs before they place that burden on the consumers with raised prices.
This is only expected to continue with further jumps this year too, and consumers shouldn't be surprised if they see many of their favorite premium options simply disappear from selection as a result.
It's not necessarily all bad news though, as there has been a jump for one particular US-based winery, with California brand Josh Cellars observing a sales increase of 8.3% in the first 13 weeks of the year so far, yet the reliance on overseas imports as a whole continues to put pressure on the industry.