New York City restaurants are running out of ways to outrun inflation.
CakeBurgers, an East Harlem eatery that serves hamburgers and cakes shaped like hamburgers, turned off its air conditioning — even as temperatures in the city this summer routinely soared into the 90s — after the gas and electric bill spiked to $1,400 a month.
Frank Scotto, who owns several neighborhood bars between Chinatown and Midtown, saw his liability insurance premiums surge fivefold in four years at one of his establishments, to an annual $24,000. For years, Scotto prided himself on low prices and resisted raising them in spite of increasing costs. After the holiday season, he plans to boost alcohol prices by up to 15%, or by about $1 for a can of beer, as he looks to make up the difference…