💸😅 What’s on the menu? Inflation.

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

⛳ Golf isn’t just for Southie dudes anymore. Tuesday is Ladies’ Night at Broadway Golf Club, which = FREE golf for gals from 7 to 9 p.m. No clubs (or experience) required. Plus … there’s wine.

✈️ Also: Last call to vote for Boston mag’s travel awards! Drop your fave lobster rolls, breweries, music fests, and more HERE.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston, we have a budget!

• What’s behind our rainy weekends?

• 92 Munchkins? No problem.

Up first…

FOOD & DRINK

The rising costs of dining out

We probably don’t have to tell you that going out to eat in Boston has gotten stupid expensive. But according to a new article from the Globe, rising menu prices are just an appetizer of a multi-course meal, so to speak.

Here’s what to know:

📈 You’re not the only one with menu sticker shock. Consumer Price Index data shows the price of eating out in Boston is up 6% year-over-year as of March. Although a far cry from Sept. 2022’s peak of 10% *shudders*, that figure has been ticking upward since last fall. Frankly, the vibes look grim across the country, with menu prices at full-service restaurants up 4.3% nationwide over the past year. (Maybe we’ll just split an entree …)

🍝 Here’s how those increases might look on your bill: In the North End, a once $13 bowl of clam chowder and a $28 bowl of rigatoni have respectively climbed to $15 and $33 over the past two years. Even more striking: Compared to 2022, a $54 ribeye steak and a $58 rack of lamb now cost $69 and $78. Ouch.

💸 One thing fueling the change: Tariffs. Although most of President Trump’s tariffs are currently on pause, restaurant owners are sweating it because they can’t exactly protect themselves from price changes the way other businesses can. After all, a business selling clothing or electronics can stockpile inventory. Stockpiling fresh produce and meat that restaurants order daily isn’t really on the table.

😮‍💨 All of this leaves restauranteurs with some tough choices. Namely, do you absorb the losses or raise menu prices? The choice isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem: A James Beard survey from last year found independent restaurants that raised their prices more than 15% reported fewer customers and a decline in profits. “It’s a really frightening time,” Jen Ziskin, executive director of Massachusetts Restaurants United, told the Globe.

🥩 And the consequences aren’t just in the price bumps. Instead of raising prices outright, some local spots have gotten creative with their menus to deal with the changes. Think: Cutting a dish with a particularly pricey ingredient, or keeping a steak on the menu, but upcharging for the side of asparagus and fries.

👀 Wanna dig in more? You can read the whole story here.

QUICK QUESTION!

🤑 Have rising prices changed your dining out habits? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💸 Boston’s FY26 budget is signed, sealed, delivered. On Monday, Mayor Michelle Wu signed off on the city’s new belt-tightening $4.8 billion budget. The final version is almost identical to the OG, with around $9 million in line item changes courtesy of the City Council, including additional investments in housing vouchers, mental health services, and more. The drama-free process is a welcome change from last year’s … chaotic proceedings, which included a mayoral veto and more than a few tears. 

☕ We’ve got major tea from City Hall. Marwa Khudaynazar, a former Wu staffer who was fired last month amid controversy over a domestic violence arrest, is claiming her speedy firing was an attempt to cover up a scandal. Namely, Segun Idowu, Wu’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion (also, her boyfriend’s boss!), was allegedly trying to get her in bed. And she has receipts. That said, the city said Khudaynazar’s firing was for attempting to use her title to avoid arrest, but some HR experts and local officials think something smells fishy.

☔ Dreaming of a Saturday at the beach? Keep dreaming. Boston is in the middle of yet another summer weekend rainy spell, with measurable rain recorded on eight of the last 10 Saturdays (10 out of 10 if you count a drizzle). And this weekend isn’t looking much better. So what’s behind the rainy weekends? Apparently, we can chalk it up to bad luck. WBUR debunked some popular theories like jet stream troughs or pollution, with one meteorologist suggesting more rain overall simply = more rainy weekends. 

🏋️ Yet another reason to ditch your $40 workout class: CX Fit 2025, a.k.a. Cambridge Crossing’s new outdoor workout series, which is holding free classes every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. through the end of September. You can expect rotating, beginner-friendly classes every week from legit fitness instructors, plus a live DJ on Saturdays. This week’s lineup: Vinyasa Yoga with Down Under Yoga and a bootcamp workout from Two Toned Training, but keep an eye out for boxing, HIIT, barre, and more.

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Say More The C-Word: Stories of Cancer

When we think about being young, we picture a time of exploration and discovering who we are. What we don't picture? Cancer. But Kelly Spill was 28 years old when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. This week on “Say More,” Kelly’s story of treatment and survival. Later, a conversation with Dr. Andrea Cercek, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, who leads the first clinic in the world to specialize in young people with colorectal cancers.

Listen Now.

ONE LAST THING

92 Munchkins later …

Remember the dude who decided to bike to 92 Dunkin’s on National Doughnut Day? Well, he did it! And yes, his TikTok recap of the day (which included him eating a Munchkin at every Dunkin’) is making us emo.

He went into airports, hospitals, up escalators, and along the way, several groups of staff met him with cheers and “Adam runs on Dunkin’” signs, and one even surprised him with a primo order. And yes, he even managed to stop by the now-infamous Back Bay Station Dunkin’, which was (thankfully) still temporarily closed. 

The icing on the cake? As of Monday evening, he smashed his goal of $5,000 in donations, raking in over $7,500 for multiple sclerosis. Yay, Adam!

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍩 Thanks for reading! As one commenter said: “This is my Marathon Monday.”

⚾ The results are in: And Wally is, unfortunately, the least sexy of Boston’s sports mascots, although multiple readers wrote in to praise his dad bod. Meanwhile, Blades the Bruin came in at No. 1 with 33% of the vote. One reader said: “Giving off beauty and the beast meets hockey romance vibes.” Noooooo.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].