Louisa Coffee on Wednesday announced that it would raise the prices of its food items by NT$5 (US$0.17) starting Friday.
Taiwan’s largest coffee chain said that the price hike would apply to savory items such as sandwiches, bagels, omelets, and other light meals, as well as cakes and cookies.
Louisa Coffee said the price of its drinks would remain unchanged.
The coffee chain had raised the price of its coffee products by NT$5 before last year’s Lunar New Year holiday due to rising global bean prices.
The newly announced price hike for light meals, bagels, and other items will also go into effect on the first day of the upcoming 10-day Lunar New Year holiday for this year, Louisa Coffee said.
Louisa Coffee said it would roll out new menus for light meals, bagels, and other food items on Friday, along with the price hike.
Louisa Coffee added that it would remove certain items, including its extra rich first flush matcha latte, coffee au lait, light milk coffee latte, bagels with honey mustard, and beef meals with black pepper sauce from its menu on the same day.
Also starting Friday, Ceylon black tea, green tea, fruit tea, Ceylon and apple tea, and fruit green tea will only be available in one size, large, Louisa Coffee said.
To thank long-term customers, the coffee chain said it would introduce promotion campaigns from time to time to provide discounts.
Lousia Coffee is the latest food and beverage chain to raise prices in Taiwan, as global raw material and food ingredient costs continue to rise.
On Dec. 21, prices of McDonald’s Value Meals increased by NT$10 a day before KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) raised product prices by 6.2 percent on average, while Burger King raised product prices by 5.8 percent on average on Jan. 4.
Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) saw a 2.95 percent year-over-year increase in 2022, well above the 2 percent target set by the country’s central bank, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).
The 2022 CPI increase was the highest since 2008 when it rose 3.52 percent, DGBAS figures show.
Dining out costs rose 5.77 percent in 2022, the highest level since 2008, when they were up 7.46 percent, according to the DGBAS.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel