How Southern Tier Customers and Businesses Are Adapting to Supply Chain Shortages [GALLERY]

Many of us are just plain frustrated by bare shelves at the stores, whether it be a gaping hole where Fluffy’s food is supposed to be or maddening delays in getting that cool knit octopus hat you ordered, starting back with the whole toilet paper debacle in March, 2020. Enough already!

Business owners, consumer and government leaders we’ve talked to agree the situation with price increases and shortages now isn’t so much a run on buying certain products and hoarding, but that much-publicized problem with the “Supply Chain.” That’s forced us all to get creative and explore workarounds and maybe even discover that we can make some of our own products, saving $$$$!

But what about the business owner and restauranteurs?  They also have had to get creative in dealing with shortages and pricing issues.

Our Country Hearts owner, Jason Shaw, is in a unique position. Not only does his business at Route 26 and 38B in the Town of Maine sell American-made furniture, it is also a restaurant and gift shop and Shaw has been representing the 8^th District on the Broome County Legislature since 2014, so he has a handle on what is going on throughout the entire county.

Shaw says his business has had to rethink everything from switching to other contractors when their usual suppliers have been unable to get materials or have been absorbed by other companies, to making adjustments to streamline the restaurant menu, removing items that aren’t so popular.

The owners of Henry’s Drive-In in Afton agree. The pandemic has challenged their creativity.  Daron Schultes says the eatery at 29 Main Street features home cooking, so any issues with getting ingredients may mean actual adjustments to their recipes.  Like us home cooks, they have had to turn to ingredient substitutions on occasion.

And, while the pandemic increased the popularity of take-out orders, a trend that is continuing, Schultes says another issue hitting the small restaurants and diners especially hard is the new ban on Styrofoam containers in New York.  Where the old foam take-out containers cost about $.15, recyclable cardboard options can cost $.75. It makes you appreciate what steps these small businesses are taking to try to keep from passing huge cost increases on to their customers.

Take a look at some ideas we have here for Supply Chain shortage workarounds and helpful substitutions and household hacks that could save you money: