Texas consumers and business owners are feeling the impact on the economy – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

From a place that’s considered small by any measure, Herman Brown thinks he has a pretty good perspective on the bigger picture.

“Business has been a bit sluggish given the recent price hikes on groceries and the like.”

It’s something every business owner and chef, and Brown is both, notices.

He opened Tha Neighborhood Kitchen at the height of the pandemic. Two years later, he says, his small soul food shop in Joppe is faced with a new challenge.

“The economy right now, gas prices and the Feds going up a percentage of the dollar, people aren’t spending as much as they used to,” Brown said.

Brown says to stay open in an area with few restaurants, he’s working to keep costs down. The payroll is manageable because he and his business partner Katrina Cheney are the employees.

“Store prices are way up,” Brown said. “Our supply chain is trying to work with us,” he says. But Brown adds that his small business doesn’t have the purchasing power of larger buyers, so he has limited leverage.

Figures released on Thursday show a nationwide contracting economy for the second straight quarter.

Most economists say that a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) alone does not equate to a recession, but it is imminent.

Back at Tha Neighborhood Kitchen, customers like Mavis Polk say he’s also noticing signs of a possible recession, but continues to spend money here for the love of good food.

“It’s a convenience store,” Polk said. “I also like to leave the money in the neighborhood.”