Transcript: What a Bakery Can Tell Us About the Economy Right Now

We talk a lot about macroeconomic trends on the podcast. What's happening with inflation? Is the labor market too hot? Will there be a recession next year? On this episode, we take a closer look at how one business is dealing with these economic trends right now, and what its experience says about the economy as a whole. Ken Jarosch is the owner of Jarosch Bakery, which has been operating in the suburbs of Chicago for more than five decades. He's been dealing on the ground with all the things we talk about on the show. So on this episode we discuss how he sets pricing for cookies, cakes and donuts as input costs surge, whether he's hiring new workers, and if he's seeing any slowdown in customer demand. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.