Rising prices

Jackie Wilson and her business partner, Sheila Petrie, have owned Upperkrust on Upperkirkgate in Aberdeen for 15 years – in fact, it’s become a bit of an institution - telling the Press and Journal at the end of August that rising electric prices were proving to be a “real dilemma”. Not only were they seeing energy increases, but food ingredient costs were spiraling up too.

“I don’t know what we are going to do,” Jackie Wilson told the newspaper. “I think we are going to have to start wearing head torches and have candles with a bbq out the back... Every time I phone an order the prices are increasing and sometimes it’s double… We’ve put our prices up as much as we can to try and cover it, but costs keep going up. I’d need to charge £30 a sandwich to cover costs.”

When Sandwich & Food to Go News were in touch with Upperkrust more recently, Jackie Wilson said that they were still facing a massive increase, with their electricity bill from the first of November set to be four times what it was. “Every order you place from day to day has increased prices; it’s hard to keep track,” she added. “Before, you’d place an order and receive it at the price agreed. Now, we have to check every order placed to check for increases. It’s crazy. Yes, we could substitute for cheaper products, but we will not compromise our quantity and go down this line.

“Somehow, we will manage and come out smiling at the other end. After all, we’ve survived a pandemic, haven’t we? This, in many ways is worse. We will work hard, hold our heads up, and battle on, and fingers crossed we will survive this too. We love our business and are so proud of what it’s become. We were a lifeline to many living on their own through the pandemic who had no one to speak to. Upperkrust is very much part of the community, not just a sandwich shop. We are an institution where people come for a cheer me up, good food and a chat.”