Sam's Pizzeria on Riverside is just one of many stateline businesses affected by a national tomato shortage. In fact, some places are now paying triple the cost for the red stuff. The soaring prices come from colder conditions in Florida, causing tomatoes to go bad. Right now, popular fast food chains are either knocking the item off their menu or paying more for the product. Of course, pizzerias have no choice but to fork out more cash, but owners say their policy is still quality above quantity.
"Sometimes we may substitute. If we are running specials for the week, we might use a different product for the special like onions, sweet potatoes there are other products you can use to make specials with," says Gino Galluzzo.
Sam's Pizzeria says they usually plan for tomato prices to fluctuate. However, this increase is a bit more than expected.