SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) — Rising fuel costs are forcing a San Marcos wood-fired pizza catering business to consider increasing prices on its menu — something the owner said it hasn't done for "a long time," but could become a reality if this trend continues.
Scott Condon, owner of Inferno Woodfired Pizza Kitchen, has spent 13 years catering events across the region.
"We bring the fun to the party," Condon said.
Now, the cost of getting his mobile pizza oven to parties is taking a toll on his bottom line.
The business relies on a truck with a 38-gallon gas tank to transport its Forgo Bravo wood-fired pizza oven. Condon fills the tank about twice a week, and the price increases are adding up.
"That's a painful stop every time," Condon said. "It was $130. Now it's about $200," Condon said.
The extra $70 per trip is an unexpected expense just to keep the business moving. Condon also noted that the surcharge he pays his produce supplier has increased.
"It's unexpected expense, and we don't raise our prices. We haven't for a long time, so I know it's gonna trickle down into everything else we buy," Condon said.
To save money, Condon explored more extreme options, including buying fuel in bulk out of state.
"We're just looking at our options, how to keep things consistent, pricing-wise," Condon said.
Condon is currently willing to absorb the extra costs to avoid passing them on to customers. However, he has a threshold for when that might change.
"Well, if gas gets over $6.50 a gallon, we're gonna have to really take a closer look at it," Condon said.
According to the GasBuddy price tracker on the ABC 10News website, the average price per gallon in San Diego County hit $5.88 Monday, up about $1.30 from a month ago.
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