WA businesses caught between high costs, tariffs

In the face of stubborn inflation and higher costs from new tariffs, many businesses in Seattle and across Washington face a tough choice:

Eat those rising costs or pass them along.

At The Masonry, which offers wood-fired pizza and craft beer near Seattle Center, co-owner Sam Morin has been closely watching the “creeping” price increases for the meats used in their popular meatballs.

Morin said The Masonry is already a lean operation, with little room for extra costs. It has been a long time since the menu price was increased, and I really don’t want to … raise it any more,” she said. “But at some point, it’s going to have to happen.”

It’s an increasingly common refrain these days as businesses navigate rising costs, a trade war and economic uncertainty.

In July, U.S. wholesale prices