VIDOR, Texas — The owner of a well-known café in Vidor said high food costs left her with no choice concerning the fate of her restaurant.
Sherry Mills is the owner of the Red Wagon Café. After 15 years of feeding the community, the restaurant's days are now numbered.
In a Facebook post, Mills announced the Red Wagon is set to close Sunday, April 2, 2023. Mills believes the restaurant's last day will be hard for her.
"When we come in and start pulling everything out of here, I'm going to be crushed," Mills said. "It’s still hard knowing I've got a week left and this place is gone. That's 15 years."
High food prices are forcing Mills to close the Red Wagon's doors.
“A year ago a case of eggs was $17 a case,” Mills said. “Now, they're $80 a case."
When the owner tried raising her prices due to increasing food costs, she lost customers.
“For me to make a profit and jack my prices up, people ain't going to pay it," Mills said. "I wouldn't pay it."
Despite the issue, there are still a few loyal customers who continue to come through the Red Wagon's doors.
“They're trying to find the cheapest thing on the menu now, to where they can still support us,” Mills said.
Lauren Bebeau is the creator of SETX Foodies. She feels rising food costs, low staffing and supply chain issues are some of the many challenges restaurants across the area are facing.
“Inflation. That means restaurants have to increase their menu prices," Bebeau said. "If they don't, they're at the risk of losing a lot of money."
For area restaurants hoping to get through this period of high prices, Bebeau believes it's all about putting yourself out there.
“If you don't do any kind of marketing, and you're just relying on a sign outside you're building, that's not going to make you successful,” Bebeau said.
Although the Red Wagon will no longer be open, Mills is grateful for the chance to have served Vidor families for 15 years.
"We've been able to feed for free a lot," Mills said. "We've done some good. We've had some good has been done to us.
Mills hopes a new restaurant will take over the building the Red Wagon is leaving behind. She is planning to go back to driving trucks.
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