The last time I wrote a column on cheap eats was in November 2017. At the time, restaurant prices were going up, making it difficult to find lunch for less than $10, but the main impetus was the sudden inflated price of a bowl of ramen.

Up until then, a bowl of ramen was going for $9.99, but pricing at Agu, A Ramen Bistro, opened competitors eyes to the realization that people were willing to pay $15 to $20 for more luxurious toppings, variety increased, and prices shot up to meet the new market rate.

For a while, we were in a state of equilibrium that changed with the start of pandemic rules beginning in March 2020. Restaurant costs increased with the new expenses for disinfectants, masks and gloves.

Then 2021 brought on the start of the plastics/Styrofoam ban that had many restaurants paying more for to-go containers.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine last year added to pandemic supply chain issues and raised the costs of staples such as wheat flour and cooking oil.

The New York Times reported that restaurants’ cost of 35 pounds of canola oil shot up 159% from $22 to $57 between 2019 and 2022. Fifty pounds of flour increased 61% from $18 to $29, and a pound of scallops increased 118% from $17 to $37.

Over at Feast, chef Jon Matsubara was feeling the pinch but concerned about seeing his customers hit by rising food costs, general inflation, and, for him, rising gas prices represented the last straw.

While most restaurants had no choice but to pass their added costs on to consumers, in December Matsubara launched his Magic Menu of about eight items available day and night, all priced at less than $10.

“We made it through the pandemic because the community supported us all this time, so we wanted to show our appreciation and thank people with these offers.

“We’d never done any thing like it, but beef and chicken prices were stable so we thought, what can we do at this price point, and here are some things we can do to give people a break.”

He had no end date in mind, but with no relief in sight, will continue to offer the menu indefinitely.

The menu starts with a couple of burgers, the McBara deluxe ($9) and the Feast smashburger deluxe ($9.99). The former features a local beef patty, cheese, kabayaki sauce, umami mayo, lettuce and tomato. The latter is a quarter pound rib-eye/chuck beef patty with cheese and “boss” sauce, on garlic-buttered brioche buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles.

Then there’s The Brookie ($9.50), a mini portion of Matsubara’s fried chicken that’s not so mini, served over a bed of fries and a side of mushroom gravy.

He tries to keep things interesting, such as offering a bowl of chili and rice ($7), accompanied by crunchy spiced chicharrons.

Matsubara was most shocked by the increased price for lobster, which had been cheap at the start of the pandemic when vendors were trying to unload inventory before spoilage. He was forced to raise the price of his popular lobster roll from $22 to $30.

“Even at that price, we weren’t covering our food cost,” he said.

On the Magic Menu is a petite lobster roll ($9.99) of lobster with umami mayo and lemon on buttered Hawaiian sweetbread. At about one-third the portion of a regular lobster roll, it makes a tasty appetizer or side dish to regular menu items such as an ahi-topped nicoise salad ($18.50), grilled steak and cheese sandwich ($16.50, or $29 with 1 pound of steak and double cheese) or shawarma plate of falafel ($15), chicken ($16) or Lebanese-spiced salmon ($17.50).

In spite of one of Matsubara’s initial fears that the Magic Menu might overshadow his regular menu, that hasn’t been the case.

“We see peppered through orders high-end items along with a handful of items from the Magic Menu because people just want what they want.”

Interestingly, in spite of some consumer indignation over rising restaurant costs, including trolls calling out

Papaaina Maui over $20 avocado toast, and chef Lee Anne Wong pushing back by defending her pricing via Instagram, it may still be more affordable for some to dine out than eat at home.

According to the Consumer Price Index calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of eating at home was 11.8% higher in December 2022 compared to December 2021. During the same time period, restaurant pricing increased 8.3%.

Food prices overall are expected to increase 7.1% this year.

All this keeps Matsubara on his toes. Where once chefs could sit back and rely on a few trusted vendors, his job has become harder, constantly shopping for the best deals and negotiating for better pricing on bulk purchases.

“It’s twice as hard, but that’s just the new reality. Throughout the pandemic there was always change, we were always having to pivot and it’s just kept going.”

Feast by Jon Matsubara

2970 E. Manoa Road, Manoa
Food: ****
Service: Self-Service
Ambiance: ***
Value: ****
Call: 808-840-0488
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 4-6 p.m. Tuesdaysthursdays and 4-7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Prices: All items less than $10