When the grill is hot, the DMs fly in for Char.Kuul Grill. Coleman Davis releases his rotating and weekly menu on Sunday, and by Monday, the sweet smell of barbecue wafts in the air as he prepares to be delivered to customers.
It's a mouth-watering menu that could have a jaw-dropping price tag, so to save, he shops at Mini Mart Specialty Meats in Detroit.
Watch Kiara's report in the video player below
"It's really like 'ahhh' when you walk in here for me, anyway, being a cook," Davis said. “The price point allows me to make some money myself. It’s not so expensive to where I have to charge a million dollars for a plate, that would not be good for business.”
Weekly deals flash on the wall and are spread on social media, letting customers know even though they sell higher-quality meat, the prices are accessible to anyone.
“It’s hard times out here, so we want to always give deals when we can," said store manager Terrance Simpson.
Simpson has been working at the shop on McNichols in Detroit since he was 12. The community staple stands the test of time because it cares about the community.
And apart of caring, he is warning shoppers about the price changes to come. He says a Thanksgiving staple is expected to spike in price.
“Turkey is going to go up this year," he told me. “Okay, let’s say last year it was $1.99 this year it's going to be $2.99 a pound or it might be $3.49 a pound, something like that, it’s going to spike up.”
A couple factors play into the price increase: Avian Influenza, shortening the crop, and the demand is going up.
“and that’s because people are now buying more turkey than beef, because beef is up," Simpson mentioned.
But no matter the volatility of the market, Simpson has some simple advice.
“You have to always try to eat healthy. So that’s why we strive not to lower our quality of grades because health is wealth," he said.
So how can we shop smarter? For one, when you see a deal, buy it! Turkey's on sale at Kroger this week for 99 cents a pound, and buying frozen is typically always cheaper than buying fresh. And just a heads up, turkeys are good in the freezer for up to a year.
