A burger in Colorado now costs $15, up 31% due to the rising cost of labor, utilities, ingredients and equipment.

It seems that nothing is safe from the impact of inflation, not even a simple hamburger.

In Colorado, prices for a classic burger at a restaurant have been on the rise, causing a stir among consumers and drawing unwanted attention.

One prime example of this is the ‘Keep It Simple’ burger at Red Robin, a popular burger joint in the Denver area.

Just a few years ago, this no-frills burger was priced at a reasonable $10.29. But nowadays, customers are shelling out nearly $15 for this same burger, a whopping 31% increase in just over three years.

That's enough to make anyone's wallet cry in pain. But it's not just Red Robin. Many other burger joints in Colorado are also feeling the strain of rising prices.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of eating out at a restaurant in Colorado has increased by 28.2% since January 2020. Menu prices have gone up at most eateries, and restaurant owners are not too thrilled about it.

However, there is some hope for burger fanatics.

The Cherry Cricket, another popular Denver hotspot, still offers a solid burger for under $15. But even they have had to make some changes to keep their prices low. The Cricket Burger, once priced at $8.85, now costs $11.50, a 30% increase since 2021. And while fries used to be a standard $4, they now come in two sizes, with the larger size costing $6.

Calley McCue, president and CFO of Cherry Cricket's parent company Breckenridge-Wynkoop, explained the reasoning behind their price increase. "Continuing to provide a delicious product to our guests at a value is paramount to us at the Cherry Cricket. We're always very hesitant to increase our prices," she said. "But unfortunately, the dramatic increase in the cost of goods sold and labor costs over the past two years have forced us to adjust our prices in order to keep our operations running."

But it's not just the cost of goods and labor that are driving up burger prices.

The Colorado Restaurant Association & Foundation conducted its own study and found that restaurants are facing an increase in labor costs by 54%, utilities by 55%, and equipment and maintenance by 20%. And the cost of ingredients like beef, cheese, and lettuce have also skyrocketed, with increases of 43%, 79%, and 85% respectively.

In fact, according to the association's findings, for restaurants to maintain the same profit margin on burgers as they did in 2020, they would have to charge $22 per burger. This is a significant increase from the average price of $15 for a burger in Colorado currently.

The association's spokeswoman Denise Mickelsen attributes these price hikes to a combination of inflation and the annual increase in the minimum wage.

"The cost of running a restaurant continues to skyrocket, and with typical industry profit margins sitting at a slim 3% to 5%, operators don't have a lot of wiggle room when food, alcohol, energy, labor, taxes and more continue to climb," she continued. "It all leads to higher menu prices, streamlined menu offerings, limited hours of operation and operator burnout."

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• COLORADO'S 5.3% INFLATION RATE OUTPACES NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 3.7%

• LARGEST STRIKE IN U.S. HISTORY THREATENS PATIENT CARE IN COLORADO

• A CONSEQUENCE OF GREEN POLICIES AND FAILED ECONOMIC STRATEGIES

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like these price increases will be slowing down anytime soon. In a recent poll conducted by the restaurant association, 86% of members said they plan to raise menu prices even further when the minimum wage increases by 5.6% to $14.42 an hour on Jan. 1. And six out of 10 said they will have to cut hours or shifts for their employees, leaving them with less income.

The industry is facing challenges that have unfortunately led to the rise in prices, and it's not something that will be changing anytime soon.