The inexorable rise of costs in the Bay Area. Small Business Edition.

If you live here, you know. Rents are high. Real estate is out of reach for many of us. If you are an employer you also know that wages have risen roughly 20-25% in the last few years for new hires (and not much for everyone else) in the service industry. Add in the annually increasing costs of providing health care for employees with already small margins, and the viability of a small business like Highwire is threatened. We're seen competitors in our communities close their doors, we've seen restaurants switch to counter service models. Everyone seems to be feeling the pinch. 

Including us. For the last two years, we have largely held prices in line. Partly out of hope that things would somehow just work out. They haven't. 

This is a long way of getting to the point. Starting Thursday, September 19th, Highwire will be increasing prices on most beverages on average about $0.25. This is not something we enjoy doing. This is not our ticket out of Smallsville. This is just us trying to keep our heads above water in the economic climate we live in. 

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Sincerely,

Robert