Rising Costs Impacting Small Businesses in Nevada
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Small business owners, particularly in the restaurant sector, are grappling with rising operational costs, which are affecting their employees and customers. This concern was a key topic during a recent meeting between local restaurant owners and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.
Cortez Masto listened to the challenges posed by the economy, attributing increased prices for food, gas, and other goods to blanket tariffs and the conflict in Iran. Kasey Christensen, co-owner of the restaurant Süp, highlighted the struggle to pay employees a living wage while managing higher costs of transportation and supplies.
She emphasized the widespread effect of these challenges: “Small businesses fail, communities fail, families fail; it’s across the board. It’s about how we support each other.”
Cortez Masto remarked that while Nevada’s hospitality industry is vital to the state’s identity, the increasing costs are making it difficult for residents to enjoy local offerings. “They already have a thin profit margin, and they’re forced to raise their prices, or else they won’t survive,” she stated.
Addressing these issues, Cortez Masto observed that small businesses nationwide share similar challenges, and she stressed the need for bipartisan collaboration to find solutions. She reassured business owners that federal partners are actively working on legislation to tackle these rising costs and are looking to reverse policies contributing to the financial strain.
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