GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Last summer in a pandemic, many locals were forced to delay weddings and other planned festivities.
But in 2021, Heather Ohde and Northeast Wisconsin caterers are seeing more business than ever before.
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"This year, we're getting tons of events, more than we've ever had in the past," Ohde said. "There's a huge demand. And because of that, we're seeing a shortage across the board."
Whether it's mustard bottles or baked goods, Ohde and Biebel's Catering in Green Bay are struggling to find some of the products their customers want.
"There's odd pockets that we're seeing it in," Ohde, the manager at Biebel's, said. "So for example, pillows of hamburger buns is one of those things that we used to have all the time that just isn't an option anymore."
If substitutions aren't an option, Ohde says she has methods to get around a food shortage. One includes submitting requests well before an event.
"We can get those order into our suppliers so they have more lead time so that we're able to get our products in on time," she said. "And people are able to get what they're looking for."
But Renard's Cateringis in the same boat. And event coordinator Oli Menke says the cost of supplies has skyrocketed.
"We had to change our menus online to market prices," Menke said. "We can't promise a specific price just because it's fluctuating so much."
Facing a meat shortage, Menke says some products have been on backorder for two months.
"We come up with a Plan B and C just in case the first one falls through, second one falls through," she said. "We just have those extra backups to fall back on."
She says the lack of supply might not end anytime soon. But at this point, Menke is well prepared.
"It’s been getting a little bit easier because we have such a good process down now," she said. "We’re so used to this long haul. We’ve kind of set into a habit, into a groove."
In a closer look at the food shortage across the country, due to a higher demand for condiment packets during the pandemic, Heinz boosted its ketchup production by 25 percent.
Meat suppliers are reporting hiring shortages as a reason why production is slower. And big chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and KFC say they're paying more for chicken as the demand grows.
