GREENFIELD — Despite record beef prices linked to a country-wide cattle shortage, long lines formed at local butcher shops Tuesday as Milwaukee-area residents shopped for their Christmas dinners.
Some restaurants are temporarily raising steak prices by $8, while butcher shops are seeing customers willing to pay premium prices for holiday favorites.
At Ray's Butcher Shoppe in Greenfield, customers lined up out the door at opening, with the shop at one point serving nearly 100 orders in just 30 minutes.
Watch here: How a price hike in beef is affecting the wallets for those shopping for Christmas dinner.
The popular neighborhood butcher shop has seen steady business despite higher meat costs that have persisted throughout the year.
"Beef prices are up. They've been up pretty much all year," said Scott Podd, part owner of Ray's Butcher Shoppe. "With the quantity of the people coming in, I think that offsets the cost a little bit."
The price increases have forced some difficult decisions. Ray's opted against stocking crab legs this Christmas season due to cost concerns.
"We decided not to get them in because it just wasn't worth it to pass along that cost to the public," Podd said.
For customers like Sue Surges of Wind Lake, who was purchasing $75 worth of roast beef for a family gathering, the higher prices are simply part of the current reality.
"What are you gonna do? Everything else is (going up in price)," Surges said.
Ronald Saurer, a regular customer from Greenfield, echoed the sentiment that holiday meals are worth the extra cost.
"For me, it's once-a-year stuff, so I'll pay whatever," Saurer said.
The price increases reflect broader trends in the beef market across the whole year, with costs rising several dollars per pound across various cuts. It's due to several factors, including a historically low cattle herd countrywide. While individual increases may seem modest, they add up significantly for families preparing large holiday meals.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
