SEATTLE — 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. whol

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