MILWAUKEE — We’ve all heard stories about how inflation is hitting small businesses hard.
Despite the uncertainty, some business owners are using this challenge as a learning tool.
Brian Wang owns three Aloha Poke Co. restaurants in the Milwaukee area.
He said he believes there is a bright side to the inflation unrest.
“The whole experience has made us better operators, made us more efficient, made us better problem solvers,” said Wang.
Like other small businesses, he is dealing with the high costs of food, labor and energy.
He said the simple crunch item, which is a signature ingredient in his Poke bowls, costs him twice as much as it did this time last year.
Wang said he also doesn’t know week-to-week what his food distributor will have in stock due to supply chain issues.
That’s why he took control, building new relationships with local Asian grocery stores.
Now, he’s buying ingredients vendors don’t deliver while supporting other local businesses.
Wang has also made connections with many of his customers in the corporate world, which he said he believes will lead to more catering opportunities.
“We find that a lot of our office workers that come here, especially for lunch, that they love having something different for a corporate lunch or a holiday party,” said Wang.
He encouraged other small business owners to start looking at their operations and that now is the time to find efficiencies and opportunities.
“For businesses that are already operating, you really need to take a deep dive into every cost that you have. You know, maximize your labor, establish local relationships with vendors or businesses, provide that extra step of customer service,” he said.
Wang said he has high hopes that the economy will rebound next year.
Until then, he said he’ll focus on lessons he’s learned from inflation, that have made him a smarter business operator.
For more information on Aloha Poke Co., and its locations, click here.
