STORY: Surging restaurant prices in Türkiye make eating out a luxury
SHOOTING TIME: April 29, 2024
DATELINE: April 30, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:06
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of people on the streets, at cafe and restaurants in Türkiye
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): YUNUS ATAMAN, Private company worker
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): YAZGI SECKIN, Student
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): DINCER KARADOGU, Cafe owner in Ankara

STORYLINE:

For Turks hit hard by runaway inflation in recent years, going to a cafe or a restaurant has become a luxury.

With nearly 70 percent annual inflation, prices of all consumer goods in the country are regularly increasing at a pace that has rarely been seen before. Restaurants and eateries in general are no exception to the price hikes.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): YUNUS ATAMAN, Private company worker
"I can't even imagine dining out anymore. Back in the day, my family and I would hit up a restaurant for a meal. Today, the same meal would cost me at least 2,500 liras (about 80 U.S. dollars). These amounts are gigantic, taking into consideration our income standards. We are very dissatisfied with this situation. There's just no control over these prices."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): YAZGI SECKIN, Student
"I am very unhappy with the current state of the economy. It affects me personally. As a student, I can't swing buying lunch every day anymore. 
Prices at cafes and restaurants have shot through the roof. In just the past year, they've gone crazy high. When we do manage to hit up a cafe for lunch, it's like picking between food or a coffee - can't afford both. Sometimes, we end up walking out empty-handed."

Recently, thousands of social media users have called for a boycott of business owners who exploit economic conditions, saying that inflation is created to set exorbitant prices.

Restaurant owners, on the other hand, defend themselves by stating that food and labor costs have forced them to increase their menu prices.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): DINCER KARADOGU, Cafe owner in Ankara
"They snag low prices from producers but jack them up when selling to us. We don't like increasing our prices because it spooks the customers. My profit decreased compared to last year. I increased my prices but my profit decreased. Labor prices have gone up considerably, as have electricity and rent prices. We are accused of inflating our prices, but believe me, this is not the case. This is not the fault of cafes or restaurants, but of wholesalers who are asking for exorbitant prices."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)