Durham's Backyard BBQ Pit needs $50,000 as popular restaurant struggles to stay open
Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham first opened its doors in 2007 when owner Fabianne Simmons and her husband were taking care of her mother struggling with dementia.
It has since been a fixture in Durham, as Simmons used the restaurant to hire people reentering society after incarceration. National Geographic and Yahoo! Travel have also recognized the establishment at 5122 North Carolina Highway 55.
Now, it’s on the brink of closing its doors, as the restaurant needs $50,000 to keep up with rising food costs and new equipment.
The most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed prices decreased by 0.1% in December compared to the previous month. Local businesses, however, aren't feeling much relief as rising food costs have affected small restaurants, including Backyard BBQ Pit.
Simmons said food costs have gone up about 60% over the last year.
"Brisket, sky high. Ribs, sky high. Chicken went up sky high," Simmons said. "For example, you could buy brisket at $2.29. It went up to $8."
In addition to rising food costs, Simmons and her husband have been dealing with scarcity issues.
"There were meats they couldn't find any more," Simmons said. "Our distributors were having a hard time getting it to us, which changed our whole menu."
The CPI, which the Department of Labor releases to gauge inflation, released its latest report on Thursday.
"We got some good news, some good news about the economy," said President Joe Biden during a news conference Wednesday. "Inflation is at its lowest level since October of 2021."
While the December 2022 report showed prices are cooling, Simmons is still feeling the heat.
"The index can say that, but when you have so many other people that are involved – your food distributors, your brokers – it’s going to be passed to us all day long," Simmons said.
On top of high food costs, the building's walk-in cooler and freezer are broken. Simmons is currently using a loaned freezer trailer.
She is not giving up, and is asking the community for support and donations.
"I'm [going to] fight to the very end," Simmons said. "I'm not [going to] let the pandemic or anything else stop me from doing this."
