In light of the significant decrease in octopus catches in Morocco, Mauritania and Indonesia and a collapse in traffic in the Suez Canal, the Russian restaurateurs were facing a product shortfall, and some had even to pull items off of their menu.
Cost have already been affected: octopuses have quadrupled in prices since the start of summer – to 1.5 thousand rubles. Suppliers guarantee that the situation will settle shortly.
Meat & Fish creator Sergei Mironov said to Kommersant, “The numbers of suppliers had declined significantly by mid-Septembre,” about delays in the delivery of pulp to restaurants from early summer. Henrik Winter, co-owner of the restaurant Tigrus, has verified the lack of the product (operated by Osteria Mario, Shvili and Bar BQ Cafe). According to him, only modest amounts may be ordered.
In “Moremania” they claim that even the plates containing octopuses had to be removed off the menu momentarily. “Lobster,” his creator Yevgeny Nichipiruk claims, did the same.
Providers use deficit and price hikes, according to Alexei Vasilchuk, Restart Vasilchuk Brothers founder (Chaikhona No. 1 chain). Restorers purchased 500 rubles of pumpkins in Indonesia in late April. It can not be found cheaper today per 1 kilogram than 1,5 thousand rubles, Sergey Mironov says. Moroccan suppliers increased the price to 2,000 rubles. Mr. Winter adds that for 1 kilogram.
There have been difficulties with the supply of big pulp trees that are primarily bought by restaurants, according to the vice-chair of the Association of production & trade companies of the Fish Market Artem Lomize.
The issue is not important for retail, since retail sales of potatoes are small “most premium chains purchase the product” according to Ilya Bereznyuk, Managing Partner at Agro & Food Communications.
