14 March 13-19, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ‘Everyone Buys’ A ntojitos y Frutería Mama Luchonas in Irving has already felt the effects of rising prices due to inflation alongside other struggles in the Latino com- munity since Trump entered office. “In the location I am at, we have seen how much more expensive products are now, so we have no choice but to raise our prices, and I imagine a lot of people will no longer be able to afford these things,” says store manager Alva Mendoza. “There are so many people right now without a job, and everything that is happening in this area ac- cumulates and affects people.” Not only will it have consequences for customers, Mendoza says, but for employees of these businesses. “If things get worse, they already told us they might have to let people go,” Mendoza says. Some Latino businesses have already taken a hit whether the tariffs are imposed or retracted. Many undocumented immi- grants are afraid to leave their houses, thus no longer frequenting the businesses once part of their routine. This, mixed with rising grocery prices, is hurting immigrant com- munities. “Businesses have been affected, and people are already not going to these places as much because a lot of products have risen in price and because of the people who are afraid to leave their house,” Mendoza says. “The truth is it will affect everyone, as much as the His- panic people and those who are legal here be- cause we all consume. Everyone buys.” Latinos have a high consumer rate in the U.S. In 2022, the U.S. Latino GDP reached $3.6 trillion, according to a report by The Latino Data Collaborative Think Tank, a nonprofit that researches the contributions of American Latinos to the U.S. economy. That GDP figure surpasses Canada, China and India, making U.S. Latinos equal to the fifth-largest global economy. Lincona says it can become very compli- cated when this massive buying cohort is forced to change their food routines. “We Latinos are very attached to the food that we bring from tradition, and you are go- ing to see a lot of impact on the final con- sumer. That can affect the economy in the state and throughout the country,” he says. The Latino community is aware of its spending power. Feb. 3 was A Day Without Immigrants: businesses closed, and people skipped work or school to demonstrate the impact Latinos have in their communities. “Given the raids and the immigration agencies and what is happening with many of the people who are returning to their countries, it is already stressful. Now add that to tariffs, making it more expensive to eat and to get their food; it is a bomb for the Latino people,” Licona says. De La Cream Fruteria is a family-owned business in Irving that sells Mexican foods and products. Danys Armas, the owner’s daughter, says they haven’t raised prices be- cause her supplier has not, but she knows the future implications. “He’s going to destroy us. He’s going to push until businesses are buried,” De La Cream owner Magdalena Lopez says. says of Trump. She’s hopeful the tariffs will not threaten their business’s future. “I just feel like there could be a better way for the United States and Mexico to come up with a plan where they don’t have to tax each other, especially since we’re neighboring countries,” Armas says. “I just hope that happens, but we will kind of just have to deal with what we get.” The ‘Uncertainty Tax’ L ate last week, Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Res- taurant Association, shared an update on YouTube, cautioning restaurants to use the 30-day tariff reprieve to make plans. “That looks like looking at all the goods that could be impacted again in 30 days and thinking about if you could source any of that locally; it’s working with your suppliers and distributors; it’s thinking through menu items and those items that may become more costly,” Knight said. She assured that her organization contin- ues to educate lawmakers and called out the unpredictable nature of the tariffs. “It’s this constant swinging back and forth, what I like to call the ‘uncertainty tax,’” Knight says. Licona shared a sentiment similar to Knight’s message regarding the next steps for business owners in these indecisive times. He says business owners should stay vigilant of the current tariff conditions and pay attention to their distributor’s actions to avoid the risk of getting taken advantage of. “If they continue to maintain tariffs that come and go, I feel that they are playing with the Latino society and the Latino economy that contributes a lot to the country, and that will bring consequences,” Licona says. As the Latino community continues to navigate prices, some have used online so- cial media and humor to cope. Some users showed traditional, low-cost Mexican meals they grew up eating, like rice, charro beans, sopa de fideo (noodle soup) and picadillo. One TikTok user posted a video of her making a classic Mexican breakfast: huevos con salchicha (eggs and hotdog), refried beans, and tortillas. The caption read: “Tar- iffs coming soon, but this is my childhood food, so we’ll be okay.” Regardless, businesses offering Mexican products will face hard decisions if tariffs are implemented. “Quite a lot of sales will go down, and many people will not be able to buy the products,” Rodriguez at La Michoacana Meat Market says. “The taxes might be re- flected in the prices sooner than we think.” ▼ SPEAK EASIES DALLAS BARS: IYKYK LOOK FOR AN OFF-THE-BEATEN PATH WATERING HOLE? DALLAS HAS PLENTY OF COCKTAILS DRENCHED IN OBSCURITY. BY AAREN PRODY T he revival of the 1920s speakeasy re- fuses to die, especially in a city that’s got a knack for exclusivity. But if a bar has a slew of social channels AND a website dishing out its location and entry requirements, can it call itself a speak- easy? For purists, no. A real speakeasy from the Prohibition Era was a whisper, hence the name “speak easy.” Today, passcodes, secret handshakes and identification cards for entry have been re- placed with viral videos captioned with ex- plicit directions to get into said “secret” bars. The allure just isn’t the same. However, would the current climate around food and dining in Dallas allow these underground institutions to thrive, anyway? Some of Dallas’ veteran speakeasies like Truth & Alibi (which was actually hidden and had a password) shuttered in Deep El- lum. As did Blackbird Society. Alcohol isn’t illegal anymore and we’re past the times where nights taking (legal at the time) ecstasy at The Starck were safe from mainstream media. We’re in a new age, and these bars offer us a teeny tiny little peek into a bygone era. Let’s relax about semantics. Speakeasy or no, these are some of the best hidden bars in Dallas. The Branca Room 324 W. Seventh St. Taking us way south of the border is The Branca Room, an Argentinian-style speak- easy located inside Chimichurri Latin Bis- tro in Bishop Arts. It’s more formally known as Dallas’ first vermouth bar, but they use a trove of ingredients for their spe- cialty cocktails like the Amaro transfusion, which features a “blood bag” that drips your cocktail into a small crystal glass. There are two ways to get in, although the second is much cooler. First, walk past the dining room and wine cellar, then pass through another door. Or wait until 10:30 p.m., when you can access the speakeasy through an alley between West Seventh and Eighth Streets. Hopefully, you’re not scared of the dark. There’s a small red light above the door in case you are. The Parlor 400 Olive St. The Sheraton is a bustling hotel in down- town Dallas that is the host to the retro but relaxed speakeasy, The Parlor. If you’re not there for mixology Mondays, where an ex- pert mixologist teaches you how to make classic cocktails step-by-step, you’ll most definitely be in for the artisan cocktails and extensive list of spirits. If you can’t decide, you can tell the bartenders what you like and they’ll make you a cocktail based on your preferences, in true speakeasy style. Pro-tip: use the hotel self-parking, bring Melanie Hernandez Nogales Produce Inc. struggles to plan for future business as it confronts the many mixed messages about tariffs. >> p16 City of Ate from p13
