Some businesses in Chicago have expressed concerns over President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to tax imported goods from Mexico and Canada, worried about what it will mean for future prices. As the president continues trade negotiations on Mexico and Canada, the co-founder and co-owner of Hop Butch For The World is bracing for the potential impact of tariffs. “I think one of the things a lot of breweries would agree on is that even sometimes the threat of price increases, whether it’s tariffs or not, can be enough to spook suppliers,” said Jeremiah Zimmer. He told NBC Chicago he’s worried about the cost of supply and ingredients going up for his small business. “We spend a lot of time as a brewery just trying to make sure that we’re not controlling prices but keeping them as in control as possible so that we can focus on making more beer and better beer rather than having to dial up prices to consumers,” said Zimmer. Restaurant owners, who rely on imports of produce, fruits, and vegetables fear tariffs could ultimately hurt their bottom line. “We’ve already dealt with increases in our food cost being up to 29 to 30 percent over the last few years, labor being up 39 percent,” said Scott Weiner, who is the co-owner of The Fifty/ 50 Restaurant Group. “We’ve raised prices so many times on the consumers that there’s nothing left to give.”
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