The owner of the New York City bar says he is feeling uncertain about their industry as news about President Donald Trump’s tariffs continues to change, and he feels uncertain about their inventory.
Pubs in the city are preparing for rising costs. On Wednesday afternoon, Trump announced that, as previously announced, global tariffs affecting most foreign goods will come into effect in 90 days rather than that day.
However, other charges, including a 25% tariff on all beer imports, have already kicked in.
Alcohol prices have been stable so far, according to the six bar owners interviewed for the story. But many said they expect prices to go up.
“It’s all in the air. Like everything,” said John Roberts of Customs, the owner of the Bushwick Country Club.
Asked if Wednesday’s news had changed anything, he said no.
“We hope that all of this will go away and Levelhead will win, because this seems like we’ll shoot us with our feet for no reason,” Roberts said. “Another headache that small business owners don’t need.”
Abby Ehmann, who owns Avenue B Bar Lucky, said on Tuesday he must stop plans to bring Canadian whiskey.
“It was crazy. Everyone is trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” said Zachary Mac, owner of Alphabet City Beer Company on the Lower East Side and the seasonal restaurant Taco Vista on Governors Island. Alphabet City mainly sells home beer, but once tariffs come into effect, Mack said the price of everything, including domestic beer, needs to be increased.
The wine sales situation could get worse. “We don’t sell American wine,” Mac said.
According to the Brewers Association, a trading group representing American craft beer makers, imports account for around 23% of the US beer market, while 37% of the US wine market comes from other countries.
But even home beer is not safe from tariffs that directly affect imported beer.
“As local breweries are deeply tied to the global supply chain for raw materials and packaging, tariffs can place a significant financial burden on brewers, potentially increasing packaging costs and increasing packaging costs. “If these additional costs cannot be easily absorbed by the brewer, they can be handed over to the consumer.”
Along with the owners of Williamsburg Wine Bar and others, her wine bar said “is focused on procuring small produced wines from France and Italy, making the wine more accessible.”
She said tariffs will be particularly pronounced with low-cost wines.
“The biggest impact lies in more affordable bottles, especially bottles that we love pouring into glass. A 20% increase with wines between $16 and $20 is much more important than the high-end,” Nasiri said. “We work closely with our distributors and remain flexible, but we’re sure to put pressure on pricing.”
Owner Russell Steinberg, Cecilia of St. Marks Place, has preemptive stock in particular the popular imported rosé.
“They just shipped it a lot and it’s French from Provence, so we buy some of those little strips in advance and for a small fee they keep them there, so I don’t need to have them all in my restaurant,” Steinberg said. “It was one evasive operation.”
Tariffs are coming at a particularly tough time for an industry where many businesses are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and being caught up in inflation.
“I’ve been here for so long that I’ve been through 2008 and Covid. I know that some bad months can make the difference in the business that makes it,” says Mack. “I’m worried.”
