This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising prices in the United States. See more here.
4 News Now in Spokane, Washington, reports rising grocery and gas prices are causing customers to eat out less, and restaurant owners are “feeling the squeeze”
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From the May 26, 2026, video uploaded to the YouTube channel of KXLY 4 News Now
KIRSTIN O’CONNOR (ANCHOR): According to ABC's price tracker, the cost of groceries on the West Coast is 35.5% higher than 10 years ago. With people having to spend more on necessities like food and record-setting gas prices, they're trying to save where they can.
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DEREK DEIS (ANCHOR): For some, that means eating out less at their favorite local restaurants. Angela Jara is live at Soulful Soups and Spirits, which says it's feeling the impact of fewer customers on the back burner.
ANGELA JARA (REPORTER): Derek, several local restaurants have seen their tables more empty than usual. Here at Soulful Soups and Spirits, they're almost empty at what should be their busiest time of the day, lunch hour.
Local restaurant owners say rising gas prices continue to drive up the cost of food and other supplies, and they're feeling the squeeze.
AARON ADDISON (OWNER, SOULFUL SOUPS AND SPIRITS): We're looking on the streets outside. It's dead and there's no cars. And it's like, where is everybody at? So I would say for the past two months now it's been consistently dead, probably about down 50% from what we were doing just a couple months ago.
JARA: The owner of Soulful Soups and Spirits, Aaron Addison, says he's never experienced a decrease in customers like this. He posted on Facebook last week, playfully inviting customers to visit because the restaurant was feeling lonely. But in the comments, people explained their reasoning for not stopping by. They're waiting for gas prices to drop.
ADDISON: It does seem like economics in society right now is definitely a big factor, especially with gas prices going up.
JARA: He says prices for many items have increased, like cream and plastic lids for their to-go cups. And in Browne's Addition, Jewel of the North mentioned some customers have told them they couldn't dine as frequently as they'd like because high gas prices have reduced their budget for eating out.
BROOKS THOMAS (OWNER, JEWEL OF THE NORTH): They live Northside, Valley, and whatnot, and they have to think about, hey, I can't drive there as much as I'd like to nowadays because gas is what, $5.35 average a gallon out here right now.
JARA: And despite not getting a lot of customer visits, Soulful Soups and Spirits says they are not raising their prices, and they don't plan to anytime soon. As for Jewel of the North, they have added a dollar or two to certain menu items to help offset these rising costs.