A Texas barbecue restaurant in the small town of Sinton, about a 30-minute drive from Corpus Christi, recently made the decision to remove brisket from its standard menu.The choice wasn't made overnight, Andrew Soto, the owner and operator of Butter's BBQ, told Fox News Digital."We've been dealing with the price hikes, specifically in beef and briskets, for the better part of, I would say, five years," Soto said.AMERICA'S BEEF SUPPLY SHRINKS AS CATTLE FARMER WARNS 'THE NUMBERS ARE JUST NOT HERE ANYMORE'Soto noted that prices have fluctuated over the last five years, and, at times, they even appeared to be heading in the right direction.Andrew Soto, owner and operator of Butter's BBQ in Sinton, Texas, made the decision to cut brisket from the menu due to rising beef prices.(Butter's BBQ)But over the last eight months to a year, beef prices climbed rapidly, and it eventually became too much to keep up with, he said.When the restaurant tried adjusting prices and cooking less brisket, its foot traffic and sales took a hit.CHICKEN WING PRICES ARE DOWN — HERE'S WHY YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT MAY NOT CUT PRICES"I guess the straw that broke the camel's back was last week.
I was talking to one of my food reps, and he informed me that brisket had once again gone up in price," Soto said, noting that the price had increased by almost $1 per pound.That might not sound like a lot, he acknowledged, but it adds up when buying hundreds of pounds of beef at once.And in a small town, it's hard to anticipate how much people will buy.Rising beef prices have forced restaurant owners like Soto to remove certain cuts from their menus.
(Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)According to the USDA's Economic Research Service, beef and veal prices were 5.9% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025.In total, prices are expected to increase 9.4% in 2026, with a forecast interval of 7.4% to 11.6%.Fox News Digital reached out to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for comment.It became too much of...