RALEIGH, N.C. — How blue or red voters make North Carolina will not be known until all the ballots are counted. 

What You Need To Know

Economy is the biggest issue for many voters

A local restaurant owner and cook said they have felt the squeeze of inflation

Vivo Ristorante is owned by Randi Cinelli  

One issue every year is the economy. It's especially top of mind this year with inflation impacting the livelihoods of so many. 

A local Italian restaurant in north Raleigh has weathered the financial uncertainties through a pandemic and a tough current economic climate.

Even the worst of times affect mainstays, like Vivo Ristorante.

Good pizza can be hard to find and so can finding the staff to make it.

“You don’t cut staff. It’s hard enough to find staff as it is in this workforce," Calvin Linn said.

Linn has 14 years of firing up the grill experience.

“Longest thing I have been doing other than being alive,” Linn said. 

He said he has been the head chef at Vivo for the last year. 

He said working back of the house keeps him busy, even in an unpredictable economy.

“It gets pretty crazy,” he said. “For the most part we have been pretty lucky here.”

Despite changes in consumer spending habits nationwide, Linn said the restaurant has a solid customer base.

However, a survey revealed inflation has impacted how they spend their money. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed more than a 10% rise in the Consumer Price Index over a 12-month period.

The cost of groceries continues rise as well. 

If it costs a shopper more, then the same can be said for someone buying goods for their business.

Business owners, like Randi Cinelli, are not always able to get the resources they need either. There are times when suppliers are out of certain products.

“Oils have tripled, flour has doubled, eggs have quadrupled. It’s not only getting products to market. When you can get them, what’s the price on them?” she said.

An ongoing war in Ukraine and a shortage of goods around the country can make serving customers difficult at times.

“It’s a guessing game,” she said.

She said the ingredients to make meals on the Vivo menu have cost 40% more in recent months than in past years.

Linn said Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays can be their heaviest customer flow. 

After a normal week, she has tallied up to 5,400 food orders.

Cinelli has run the restaurant for 12 years with her husband. She said they have kept the same team for the last four to five years.

“But there’s definitely a hiring freeze. We can’t hire anybody new,” Cinelli said.

In light of inflation hitting 8% domestically, moving forward she planned to buy in bulk and potentially cook up a more cost-effective menu.

Rest assured, pizza will always be on it.

“It's hard. It changes every single day. You think it would stay the same, but there are so many moving parts to running a small business in Raleigh,” she said.

Cinelli said they are constantly looking at world markets to stay business savvy locally. The silver lining is that the holidays are fast approaching, which could mean an influx of hungry eaters.