WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – COVID-19 has hit the restaurant industry hard and the National Restaurant Association says it will never be the same again. The biggest issue, supply chain problems and inflation, which go hand in hand.

For Memo’s in West Springfield, they’ve had to search for new suppliers for items that are cheaper in bulk. The price for eggs increasing is about to cost them at least 12-hundred dollars more! And the lack of truck drivers is making products get there later.

The National Restaurant Association says rising costs will likely continue through 2022, and 96 percent of restaurant operators do not believe supply chain issues will be fixed this year. Luckily for Memo’s their customer base has kept them afloat.

“Hopes for 2022. Let’s see, better supply chains. Hopefully we can figure out the whole pricing here, if we get better supply chains then we don’t have to worry about the pricing of products or being short certain things.” Dominic Pompi, the owner of Memo’s told us.

Dominic says staffing hasn’t been a big issue for them, but nationally 70 percent of operators say they don’t have enough employees, and about 50 percent note that will be a top challenge this year.