Melbourne pubs have started using frozen chicken to make their parmigianas more affordable.

Chefs and owners are forced to raise the price of parma to combat rising costs associated with rent, interest rates, and ingredients.

At the moment, the average price of a parma is $28, but there are fears that prices may rise to $30.

This begs the question: Are consumers willing to pay more for packaged frozen parma?

As costs continue to rise, many pubs are investing in frozen food.

He said, “Everything has gone up and venues will have to raise prices across the board at some point. Parmas are one of those things.”

A lot of hotels buy frozen parma.

He said that chefs in local pubs and boutique hotels are bucking this trend by looking at wholesale meat companies that provide frozen bulk chicken for pennies on the dollar.

Even in boutique hotels and places with big parma nights, people still buy frozen parma.

He said that when he looked at his own business, the decision to tenderize, crumb, and buy fresh chicken was difficult, but he didn’t want to compromise on quality.

He said, “We buy the chicken fresh, tenderise it and crumbs them ourselves.”

Very few people, and almost nobody, does what we do.

He said that it was inevitable for prices to increase to cover costs. Staff was already under pressure to raise prices to match other venues.

He said, “We’re just trying to hold the price as long as possible and use it as a loser to bring people in.”

Rent and electricity costs are a major problem for pub owners who have spoken with a spokesperson from one of Melbourne’s most popular wholesale chicken vendors.

The spokesperson stated, “We just noticed that customers are buying more.”

The company charged $3.30 per box of 30 frozen schnitzels in what he called a “cutthroat” market.

He told the pub manager and chef that he had been telling them “for years” about switching to wholesale chicken products. The business is now receiving calls from venues who are looking for a new provider.

He confirmed that a popular Prahran pub had purchased its products during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to keep costs low.

The price of a traditional parma at the pub mentioned is currently $29.

Gas connections will be phased out for all new homes in Victoria as part of sweeping legislation that will be introduced as part of the Gas Substitution Roadmap on January 1.

There are concerns that prices for other meals will increase as more hotels and venues use gas appliances.

According to The Adelaide Advertiser, Australian Hotels Association South Australia President David Basheer was concerned that if South Australia followed Victoria’s lead in eliminating gas, the price of a meal could be as high as $40.

David Basheer, president of the Australian Hotels Association South Australia, is worried that Victorian legislation could make it difficult for venues to maintain prices. Naomi Jellicoe

Mr Basheer stated that if venues were to switch from gas appliances to electric ones, it would be difficult to absorb costs further.