Video: Rice shortage creates problems for restaurants

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SEATTLE - A rice shortage is creating problems for restaurants in Seattle's International District.

For 50 years the Kau Kau Market has served up barbecue pork and chicken, and almost every dish comes with rice.  A 25-pound bag lasts two hours during the lunch rush.

"We use a lot of rice," said co owner Richard Chang.

He buys jasmine rice in bulk from Costco, but for the past couple weeks he has gone every day only to find no rice.

"I have three weeks of rice sitting in my basement, but once that run out, we will be really panicked," he said.

The problem can be traced to a long drought in Australia. As that country's rice market collapses, other countries have stopped exporting their rice, driving up prices world wide.

If you're looking for just one bag, you can still find it at Seattle grocery stores, although some prices have nearly doubled from last month.

The prices are also creating a problem at Jalisco's Mexican Restaurant, where traditional staples are rice and beans.

KING

Nearly every dish at the Kau Kau Market is served with rice.

"The prices have gone up almost 80 percent the last three weeks," Chang said.

That could add up to several hundred dollars a month in a business with slim margins to begin with.