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Ketchup, the french fry’s best friend, is in short supply in the U.S., and it’s costing franchisors hundreds of thousands of dollars, a new report in <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-shortage-ketchup-cant-catch-up-11617645189?reflink=desktopwebshare_twitter&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nationwide-ketchup-shortage-costs-franchisor-upwards-of-500000-2715416" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the Wall Street Journal said</a>.&nbsp;When the pandemic closed dining rooms, something unexpected happened to the demand for ketchup. Households started buying more bottles of ketchup while quick service and fast-casual restaurants switched to packets almost exclusively, the report said.&nbsp;A year later, packet prices are up 13%, and franchisors are struggling to keep tables stocked as dining rooms reopen, according to the Journal.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ljsilvers.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nationwide-ketchup-shortage-costs-franchisor-upwards-of-500000-2715416" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Long John Silver’s</a>, the seafood franchise with nearly 700 units, told the Journal it had spent an extra half-million dollars on ketchup packets during the pandemic. Now, even at inflated prices, supplies are running low.&nbsp;“Everyone out there is grabbing for ketchup,” the brand’s CMO told the Journal.&nbsp;At <a href="https://www.franchisehelp.com/franchises/texas-roadhouse-steakhouse/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nationwide-ketchup-shortage-costs-franchisor-upwards-of-500000-2715416" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Texas Roadhouse</a>, another franchised restaurant with about 630 units, owners have taken to scouring the shelves of Costco and looking for off-brand suppliers to make due.&nbsp;“I’m a Heinz person,” <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-doster-80312051/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nationwide-ketchup-shortage-costs-franchisor-upwards-of-500000-2715416" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Travis Doster</a>, Texas Roadhouse’s public relations lead, told the Journal. “But you can’t be loyal forever.”

Nationwide Ketchup Shortage Costs Franchisor Upwards of $500,000

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America’s most popular table sauce has been impacted by the pandemic, and now franchisors are seeing red. 

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Nationwide Ketchup Shortage Costs Franchisor Upwards of $500,000

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