CINCINNATI — As the U.S. trade war plays out on the world stage, many businesses in the Tri-State are feeling the impact.
Essential items are expected to become more expensive for small businesses like one family-owned Mexican restaurant in College Hill.
"All of our food that we had was literally corn," said Omar Garcia, the owner of Tortilleria Garcia in College Hill.
Garcia shared with us his deep culinary roots going back to his early days growing up on a farm in Mexico. He described the process from farm to table as "100% love."
"Learning how to put it in the ground and carve it at the end of the year," said Garcia.
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No matter what you order at the restaurant, most of the toppings and fillings are imported from Mexico. We asked Garcia how a 25% tariffon Mexican imports affects his bottom line.
"It's going to affect, I mean, everybody is going to be affected," said Garcia. "They're going to bring it in more expensive, and then I pass the cost along to you, you buy the guacamole so that's the way it works."
During President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, he discussed the tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
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"There'll be a little disturbance, but we're OK with that, it won't be much," said Trump. "Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again."
For Garcia, that means higher prices for tomatoes, guacamole, onions, cilantro, and soft drinks like Mexican Coca-Cola. He said he can't keep his prices the same.
"If we keep it that way, we'd be out of business, so far as we have to increase it, especially now when there's tariffs," said Garcia. "We compete a lot with big chains and really small businesses will get crushed with tariffs, so I think free trade is the way to go."
While the trade war plays out, he's hoping both countries can find a solution.
"They should come to an agreement and what's good for both economies, I just think free trade is the way to go," said Garcia.
