BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) – The restaurant industry in southwest Virginia is grappling with the repercussions of a statewide ban on foam packaging.
Wade Spurgeon, the general manager of ‘The Corner,’ shared the challenges faced by the sector: “Running a restaurant is already like walking a tightrope,” he explained. “With escalating fuel prices impacting virtually everything, we strive to strike a balance with menu prices, ensuring our customers feel they’ve received good value. Yet, additional costs like those from this ban nibble away at our profit margins.”
Implemented as an eco-friendly measure, the Virginia legislation prohibiting single-use foam containers for prepared meals dates back to 2021. This regulation, however, is now influencing business expenses significantly.
“Despite our efforts with food distributors, we still incur a 15 to 20% increase in cost per container,” noted Spurgeon. “This affects everything, from food and drink containers to those small soup containers, which have transitioned to plastic or paper. Managing these materials introduces challenges in terms of handling and transporting hot foods.”
For a place like ‘The Corner,’ they’re having to navigate those differences from both sides of the state line.
“It’s difficult because you want to keep a uniform feel for both places. So if you come to the location in Tennessee and then visit the location on the Virginia side, we want to make that a seamless interaction,” Spurgeon said. “So not really having TOGO products that are different container styles or types makes that big of a difference, but it does through off the way you think about how much should we order and how much should we put up.”
For ‘The Corner,’ Spurgeon said it’s about finding the balance of figuring out how to keep prices right, as opposed to keeping costs down. Spurgeon said he understands the environmental effects of foam materials and the need for change.
“I understand the environmental effects of it, but all the other options, if they’re not recycled correctly, then it’s still a problem,” Spurgeon said.