Another Toronto Restaurant Has Been Hit By The Lettuce Shortage & Prices Are Out Of Control

Lettuce prices are on the rise, and whether you're browsing for a head at the grocery store or sourcing a case of lettuce for your restaurant, you've probably felt the hit on your wallet.

Popular Toronto restaurant told Narcity they had to axe lettuce from their sandwiches today due to the lettuce shortage and rising costs, and they foresee this issue being a problem in the future.

Rob Bozzo told Narcity that normally a case of lettuce from their supplier runs between $25 to $35, but as of recently, they have been paying around $125 to $130 for a case.

"It's a lot, but we've swallowed it, we still put it in our sandwiches. We did what we had to do," said Bozzo.

But this morning, he said they were quoted $150 for one available case of 24 heads of lettuce.

"I can swallow so much, but I can't go on and give more than that. To pass that on to the customer's not really fair," said Bozzo.

"Even for someone coming in to grab a lunch, you know, a normal $7.99 small salad, you're going to have to charge $13."

SanRemo Bakery announced their decision to cut lettuce from their sandwiches in an Instagram post on November 17.

Bozzo said even if they wanted to switch out head lettuce for a more affordable option like arugula or spring mix that, there is still a shortage of those products.

For salads, the bakery has switched to a spring mix, arugula and spinach, but Bozzo said they could end up taking greens out of salads altogether.

"If this continues, eventually we won’t have any greens, and salad will be tomato-based or grain-based (quinoa, couscous, etc)."

The cost of lettuce has become an issue in the restaurant industry, with a Sudbury restaurant taking salads off the menu completely until "prices come back down a bit."

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.