Restaurants Hit Hard By Inflation

County Line BBQ in Austin

Everything is getting more expensive, and that’s putting the pinch on the restaurant industry, which operates on slim margins. Skeeter Miller, who owns “The County Line” chain of barbecue joints, says that meat prices are soaring. He told a state legislative committee that salaries are the biggest issue. Fifteen dollars an hour is out the window. Instead, workers now expect more than 20-bucks an hour.