Gas prices may be going down, but food prices are still on the rise, making it hard for some restaurants to stay in business.

The Labor Department released inflation figures Tuesday showing consumer prices for November were up 7.1% compared to last year.

Crotty's Cheesesteaks in New Rochelle was named Westchester's best cheese steak for 2022. But the lunch rush is more like a trickle as of late - and it may have something to do with sticker shock.

"Bacon has doubled, chicken has gone up substantially," says Lindsay Walsh, of Crotty's.

Co-owner Lindsay Walsh says food costs have increased by 20% across the board, leading Crotty's to raise prices by 10%.

"Our prices have gone up significantly. We've really tried to digest as much of that as possible," says Walsh.

Thin margins left the family business she opened with her father, Joe Crotty, just scraping by. News 12 was there in January 2021 when it opened amid the pandemic, right after Crotty's bar in the Bronx was shut down due to the COVID pandemic.

Now, inflation is threatening to take away all their hard work. A recent survey shows more than half of Americans are eating out less often compared to a year ago. Many are using third-party vendors to order food, which eats 30% of profits.

Crotty's is counting on loyal customers to pull this business through.

"We've got our fingers crossed, we are going to keep working hard, you know, put the same product we've been putting out," says Joe Crotty.