Restaurant industry has been 'through the wringer'

I'm Hope Karnopp and this is the Daily Briefing newsletter by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sign up here to get it sent to your inbox each morning .

Happy first day of August — where has the summer gone? It'll be hot today, with a high near 85 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms are likely, especially after 4 p.m. into the evening. There's a slight chance of rain on Friday too, but Saturday is looking hot but dry for festivities like the State Fair .

Restaurant industry has been 'through the wringer'

Our dining critic, Rachel Bernhard, talked to six Milwaukee area-chefs and restaurant owners for an in-depth look at the state of the restaurant industry . Despite recovering from the pandemic, they told the Journal Sentinel their struggles are far from over.

Jobs are plentiful, but employee retention is a major concern. Wholesale food prices have remained relatively flat the last several months, but operations costs are still a source of stress for restaurant owners. The industry is bouncing back, but those who’ve survived are exhausted, still trying to keep their heads above water as customers fill their restaurants — many coming in with even more scrutiny than before the shutdown.

"The biggest adjustment we’re always making to address rising costs is that we might have to stop doing certain things or make menus smaller," Valeri Lucks said. "Palomino is a great example of that. In order to make the business profitable enough so that it would survive, we had to cut down the menu to include six things. Whenever we sit down and say, 'Oh, wouldn’t it be fun to add this or try this here?' we have to go through this exercise of, well, what would that do to our (bottom) line and our costs?"

Kamala Harris coming back to Wisconsin

Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with her running mate in western Wisconsin next week as part of her first battleground state tour as the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee.

Harris and her future running mate, expected to be announced early next week, will travel to battleground states "to campaign to the voters who will decide this election," according to her campaign.

Harris held the first rally of her presidential campaign last week in West Allis. In April, she visited La Crosse to rally voters around health care access, and it's not yet clear if she will return there or somewhere else in western Wisconsin. Her visit next week will be her sixth stop in the state this year.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in Wisconsin this week to highlight investments in ports and Amtrak , though he was visiting in an official capacity rather than to campaign for Harris. He is considered a contender for the running mate slot, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Don't miss these

• The Democratic candidates running for Congress in competitive western Wisconsin won't hold a televised debate after two of the three couldn't agree on a date .
• Does downtown Milwaukee or the suburbs have cheaper grocery prices? Two reporters set out with a shopping list to find the answer .
• How much does child care cost in your area? Madison Lammert breaks down the latest data from the state — Dane, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties are the most expensive.
• Here's a list of local back-to-school events , where families can access free health screenings, immunizations and school supplies.
• Barry Manilow will honor a Cudahy High School music teacher at Fiserv Forum this weekend, including giving $5,000 for new band instruments.
• Zoe Jaeger has a fantastic profile of Papa Al , a 100-years-young bowler at Classic Lanes Greenfield who has used the same bowling ball for 35 years.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on Twitter at @hopekarnopp .

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Restaurant industry has been 'through the wringer'