Labor shortages are not the only headache facing restaurant business. Inflation is also driving up menu prices. In the United States, consumers who have to pay more for food and fuel are thinking about cutting back to make ends meet. In the United States, prices in the restaurant trade haven’t risen so much since 1981. According to figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of a meal, a coffee at the counter or a sandwich rose by 6.8% last year. Fast food restaurants and other outlets that serve customers quickly, without necessarily seating them at a table, saw menus prices that…