Kansas City restauranteur worries tariffs will deliver a blow to dining out

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - During Happy Hour at Enzo Bistro and Wine Bar in the River Market, nearly every table had a glass of wine on it. And every wine was produced in either Italy, France, Spain or Greece.

In light of 20% tariffs soon to be levied on European Union products, that means a $50 bottle of wine would now cost $60 if all of it is passed on to consumers. Distributors and retailers may eat some of that cost, but the bottom line is that it will no doubt cost more.

“It’s extremely stressful to figure out how over the next few years we’re going to absorb that drastic of a hike,” said local restauranteur Laura Norris.

Norris owns Enzo and Ragazza, located near the Plaza. The laid-back vibe draws regulars.

“We have worked really hard to maintain our price points because we want our places to be full of regulars,” Norris said.

She’s determined not to pass on all the pain, but she can only cut her margins by so much. Profit margins for restaurants are lower than in many other industries.

“The margins for restaurants aren’t extremely high, so this is extremely painful for us,” Norris said. “That’s a lot for us to absorb, so I think ultimately we will be sharing those expenses with our customers.”

She’s been crunching the numbers ever since on-and-off tariff talk began, routinely reconsidering as the rates presented by President Donald Trump have changed.

Forty percent of her sales are wine and alcohol. She also said 90% of her wine, alcohol and beer sales are imports.

Much of the food products are imported as well. Her famous meatball uses sausage from local producer Scimeca’s, but the Pecorino and Parmesan cheese is straight from Italy. The Buratta cheese on the menu is domestic but the tuna on the salade niçoise is imported as are the salami and prosciutto on the charcuterie platter.

One selling point of the tariffs is to give American-made an edge and to boost domestic manufacturing. But Norris has no plans to start replacing Tuscan wine with Napa Valley varieties. That would be changing what makes her spots special.

“Both of our restaurants are committed to providing quality Italian, French, Spanish wines, Greek wines,” she said, “and we can’t replace them with American products.”

For all the talk about imported food and wine, there’s another matter that concerns her.

The tariffs are expected to hit consumers’ pocketbooks in sectors far more essential than wining and dining, and that may mean less eating out.

“It affects everything from the cost of your auto repair going up,” Norris remarked. “So, you’re going to be making choices.”

She can only hope those choices include coming to her dining and drinking spots for the import experiences they offer.

“For our customers,” she said, “bear with us as we sort out how this is going to affect every restaurant, because it will.”

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