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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Economy & Trade

Guayaquil eateries work to keep encebollado prices down as tuna costs rise

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • The price of albacore tuna in Guayaquil’s Caraguay market has risen sharply, increasing pressure on the cost of encebollado.
  • Some eateries have raised the dish’s price, while others are absorbing higher costs or planning promotions and longer hours to retain customers.
  • Owners say they want to preserve both the quality of the Ecuadorian staple and its affordability.

“The encebollado is expensive” has become a frequent complaint in Guayaquil as the price of albacore rises. The fish, the signature Ecuadorian dish’s main ingredient, has become scarcer and is also affected by its closed season.

At the Caraguay market, albacore rose from $1.50 to $3.50 a pound, and in some cases reached $4. Some restaurants have increased a bowl that cost $2 to $2.25. Others are trying to absorb the pressure rather than pass it on to customers.

For now, we have to absorb the loss ourselves, delivering a quality product while we can. The customer is the end consumer, and we have to protect their pocket as much as we can

· Ángela CujilánThe owner of El Pez Volador explained why her restaurant is keeping its encebollado price unchanged.

Ángela Cujilán, owner of El Pez Volador in central Guayaquil, said whole albacore with the head and entrails rose from $1.60 to between $2.50 and $3 a pound. Vacuum-packed loin from Manta now costs $2.90, up from $2.70. Her restaurant has kept its encebollado at $4 and plans to protect that price for as long as possible.

If the situation becomes extreme, we would have to offer promotions and combination meals, and start raising customers’ awareness through signs at the establishment about the current price of albacore

· Ángela CujilánCujilán described possible measures if tuna costs continue to rise.

“For now, we have to absorb the loss ourselves, delivering a quality product while we can. The customer is the end consumer, and we have to protect their pocket as much as we can,” Cujilán said. If conditions worsen, she said, the restaurant would use promotions and combination meals while explaining the tuna market to customers through signs in the establishment.

David Yánez, co-owner of La Candela-rya, said raising the price could drive customers away. His strategy is to keep prices unchanged, increase production and extend opening hours. The restaurant usually prepares 50 bowls per weekend shift, and plans to work more to maintain its target profit.

That will obviously affect the venture’s profits, and keeping the price unchanged will lower profits, but you will retain your customers

· David YánezThe co-owner of La Candela-rya explained the trade-off involved in maintaining the dish’s price.
About this summary

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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