The High Cost of Cheap (Ethnic) Food

A friend of mine brought an article to my attention about the worth of a banh mi (traditional Vietnamese sandwich).  In these times, consumers are discount-crazy and driven by GroupOns, LivingSocials, TravelZoos, and every kind of discount they can get their hands on. When it comes to ethnic food, consumers often believe that there is a maximum cost to what the dishes should cost

The article, Upscale Banh Mi Food Fight: The Spice Table vs. ink.sack, by Tien Nguyen in LA Weekly talks about $8 fancy banh mi sandwiches and mentions how people flock to San Gabriel Valley for the cheap banh mi and how in certain places its worth paying $8 for a sandwich and not others (ie. San Gabriel Valley). Well, there is an extremely high cost to cheap ethnic food.

I ran my parents’ Vietnamese restaurant for nearly 2 ½ years in San Gabriel. I knew the owners in the neighborhood, I knew their menus, their profit margins, and sadly, their labor costs.  I will have to take some time to do the calculations, but I am almost certain that labor accounts for maybe only a small percentage of their business costs. Those 2 for 1 deals at $3 also means the worker is getting paid less than minimum wage working 12 hours a day with no breaks or overtime.  It not only impacts the livelihoods of the workers, but their children who are raised with poverty wages.

Consumers, you and me, really have to reconsider our framework of thinking on the worth of a burrito, taco, banh mi, pupusa, samosa, or a plate of chap chae.  When you look at the food you’re eating, I hope you can also see the lived experiences of the workers who cooked, prepared, and served your meal.