Shocking, ‘impossible’ gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures

The key to Vietnamese restaurant Pho 87’s signature soup — 16 to 20 hours of simmering on the stove — proved catastrophic this month. When owner Tre Dinh opened his gas bill for January, it was more than $8,000.

In December the Chinatown restaurant’s gas bill was roughly $800 for November usage, according to Dinh. The bill he received in January leapt to around $2,000, but even knowing another price increase was coming didn’t prepare the restaurant owner for the bill he received in February. He’s one of countless restaurateurs who received a sky-high January gas bill, credited largely to the wholesale cost of natural gas hitting record highs.

The ripple effect is being felt through the homes and businesses of Southern California Gas Co.’s 21.8 million customers, with Pacific Gas & Electric also estimating high gas bills for Central and Northern California this winter. Businesses that require gas cooking methods — such as tabletop Korean barbecues, wok stations, and gas-powered stoves and ovens — are now costing restaurateurs thousands of dollars more than their typical expenses, causing some owners to consider closing temporarily or raising prices to offset the charges. Adding to existing concerns over inflation, supply-chain difficulties and labor costs, some feel helpless.

“It just doesn’t end,” said Paul Cao, the chef-owner of Irvine restaurant Burnt Crumbs. “When are we going to get relief?”

Dinh is planning to take action.

“I’m writing a petition or something. I want to fight the city, fight the gas company, because this is impossible.” he said. “I’m not just worried about us. I’m worried about the whole community.”

Dinh, whose parents opened the pho shop in 1987 and who took over in 2018, is calling on aid for businesses struggling with their gas bills. In a bid to help other restaurants in Chinatown, Dinh has changed his years-long practice of eating in his own restaurant multiple times a day and patronizing other spots in the neighborhood two or three times a week; recently he’s begun eating one meal at Pho 87 and one meal at a nearby restaurant each day. As he’s made his way through multiple restaurants, he hears the same: Everyone has been hit by these gas prices, and all need support.

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