CLEVELAND — Hatfield’s good grub owner, Ken Hatfield, goes through a lot of gloves in the kitchen. 

What You Need To Know

  • PPE costs are rising for restaurants

  • The owner of Hatfield's Good Grub said the price of gloves has doubled

  • That's helping cause prices to increase for food orders

“I’ve used three pairs of gloves making this one meal because I had to change gloves when I grabbed some raw product. I had to change gloves to do that. Then, I come back on the line, change gloves again," Hatfield said.

They are a requirement in order to hang the permit that allows him to sell food. The cost of these gloves and other personal protective equipment has gone up, and they sometimes go through several boxes a week. He said the price per box has more than doubled. 

Hatfield said that’s one of the reasons he’s had to increase prices a little, so he can stay afloat.

Hatfield said the pandemic put an emphasis on sanitization, so he’s kept these supplies in the back. Their price has also gone up. 

“I’ve doubled what I spend on sanitizing stuff," Hatfield said. 

He said he’s seeing a lot more takeout orders, so he uses more of these containers. He's paying more for them, too. 

"Basically people do takeout instead of eating in my restaurant. So, not only do I keep that clean but I have to buy more takeout containers. All these plastic containers, stuff like that. This styrofoam. They’re phasing out so that is the cheapest thing right now," Hatfield said. 

Hatfield said this isn’t just the cost of doing business—it’s the cost of compliance.