MARKET REPORT

Beef Insights

What’s Happening?

Beef continues to be the toughest cost line for many restaurants, and the story is still tight supply meeting stubborn demand. North American cattle numbers remain historically constrained, which keeps wholesale pricing elevated even when buying patterns soften after the holidays. That said, February typically brings a brief “reset” window: some mid-winter easing on certain middle meats as steak features cool and restaurants rebalance menus after January. For operators, the bigger issue is replacement cost—when markets bounce, they bounce fast, and it’s hard to re-price a menu in real time.

Ground beef remains the pressure point. Limited cow availability continues to keep lean trimmings expensive, and retail competes aggressively for grind materials. This has a direct impact on burger programs and any menu item that relies on ground beef as a “value anchor.”

While loins can drift lower seasonally into late winter, ribs and rib-adjacent items tend to stay firm because they’re heavily tied to premium dining and catering planning. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

• Protect your burger margin first. If grind is still costly, consider a smaller patty weight, a premium add-on (bacon, cheddar, brisket chili), or a blended patty (beef + pork) for limited-time offers.
• Use value cuts with predictable yields. Chuck cuts, inside round, and sirloin-based items can be positioned as “chef cuts” without steakhouse plate costs.
• Build price flexibility into features. Rotate beef specials weekly so you’re not stuck when a cut spikes.

Pork Insights

What’s Happening?

Pork continues to be the most operator-friendly protein from a value perspective, and demand signals remain encouraging.

For February, the practical takeaway is this: pork remains well-positioned as a “margin stabilizer” while beef and chicken stay expensive. Cut-level pricing is still mixed—bellies can stay jumpy because bacon demand doesn’t disappear in winter, while loins and butts tend to be more workable for menu planning. Supplies are not “loose,” but the market is behaving more rationally than beef. And because pork can win both as comfort food and as global-flavour street food, it gives independents real flexibility to build value without looking like they’re downgrading the menu. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

• Use pork in high-yield formats. Pulled pork, braised shoulder, and ground pork stretch well and hold in hot/cold service.
• Lean into lunch and takeout. Pork sandwiches, bowls, and handhelds travel better than many beef steak items.
• Create “swap” options. Offer pork as the alternate protein in bowls, tacos, ramen, and salads, which reduces beef reliance.
• Blend to reduce beef exposure. Mixing ground pork into burgers, meatballs, or sauces can materially lower plate cost while keeping flavour rich.
  

Poultry Insights

What’s Happening?

Chicken remains structurally expensive and operationally frustrating. The December market update reinforced that production has repeatedly fallen short of allocation, which has kept supplies tight through the chain and supported high wholesale pricing.

Even when spot prices ease seasonally, they are easing from a very high starting point, and that matters for independent restaurant operators who don’t have the same contract coverage as large chains.

The good news is that early 2026 is expected to see some improvement in white-meat availability. That doesn’t guarantee “cheap chicken,” but it can reduce the worst-case scenarios. For operators, the near-term play is still dark meat and value-added formats – menu builds that don’t rely on large breast portions to make the plate. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

• Prioritize dark meat for profit. Thighs and drums still typically deliver better cost-per-serving than breast.
• Design “shareable chicken.” Wings, boneless bites, loaded fries, and wraps help keep portion cost contained.
• Stay flexible into March. If supply improves as forecast, be ready with a chicken LTO that you can run quickly when pricing breaks your way.

Seafood Insights

What’s Happening?

Seafood remains a tale of two markets: value species that hold steady vs. premium items that keep climbing. Current industry market trackers show salmon and shrimp trending higher, driven by global supply constraints, seasonal demand, and logistics costs. In contrast, many frozen whitefish categories [such as cod, haddock, pollock] continue to offer more predictable cost control—especially when sourced in portion-controlled, frozen-at-sea formats.

For restaurant operators, the practical issue is menu architecture. When salmon and shrimp jump, they can quickly break your food cost targets unless they’re priced as true premium features. Operators are responding by shifting seafood into mixed applications (tacos, chowders, pastas) that use smaller seafood portions, and by leaning more on mussels/clams and value whitefish.

What Can You Do?

• Treat expensive seafood items as “feature-only” when needed. Run as LTOs or weekend specials with pricing that reflects replacement cost.
• Use seafood to sell bowls, soups, and tacos. Lower seafood portion, same perceived value.
• Promote Canadian shellfish where it fits your concept. Mussels/clams can be a strong-margin winter special with simple prep.

Produce Insights

What’s Happening?

As February begins, produce costs and availability are being shaped more by weather and transitions than by demand. Recent freezing temperatures and crop disruptions have tightened supplies and lifted markets across several categories, with buyers shifting sourcing to Mexico and other origins, often at higher replacement costs.

In this kind of market, consistency becomes the advantage; greenhouse options and frozen formats can stabilize plate costs, while menu designs that allow quick swaps (romaine → kale, cherry tomatoes → diced Romas, berries → compote) reduce operational pain. Also notable: winter remains a strong season for hearty veg and batch-prep applications (soups, roasts, warm salads), which can help offset protein pressure with lower-cost plate builds.

What Can You Do?

• Design menus that allow substitutions without reprints. “Seasonal greens” and “market vegetables” language protects you.
• Use stable winter veg as profit drivers. Cabbage, carrots, squash, onions, and potatoes work across sides, soups, bowls, and wraps.
• Control garnish creep. Expensive herbs/berries/tender greens add up fast—standardize garnishes.
• Shift desserts to baked or compote formats. Frozen berries often win on cost and consistency in winter.
• Lean on frozen produce for high-volume prep. Predictable portioning and less waste during volatile weeks.