The highest inflation in more than 40 years has sent food prices soaring and forced the owner of The Half Baked Potato in St. Petersburg to adjust his menu accordingly.

"We had to take off lobster mac-and-cheese, which was one of our best sellers," said James 'Ozzy" Castetter, owner of The Half Baked Potato, of his restaurant's menu.  

Castetter said when he first opened the restaurant last September, he could buy two pounds of lobster for $45. Since then, he says the price has more than doubled to $95. Because of the continued cost increases, he said he's also considering other cutbacks.

"Meat prices are going up a lot, so we're actually having to reduce the amount of items we sell brisket on," said Castetter. "We're really thinking about taking it off and replacing it with something else."

The one item he must purchase are giant potatoes — Castetter said he has 673 different baked potato recipes that he interchanges on his menu — but the price of those has gone up too.

"They were about $1 per potato about 9 months ago, now they're like a $1.75," he said. "Which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's literally almost double what we were paying."​

Castetter said a few months ago, he was forced to raise prices by $1 on his gourmet comfort food that comes in hefty portions.

"Everybody's like, 'You're just trying to get rich,'" he said. "I'm not trying to get rich, trust me. I would like money, but I'm just trying to stay in business."

The only break Castetter believes he's gotten since opening was signing a long term lease that prevents his rent from increasing. The restaurant owner said a neighboring business wasn't so lucky.

"They couldn't afford it," he said. "So, they had to move."

Castetter said he worries inflation will force him to close his doors for good.

"It's really, really hard man," he said. "I mean, I just foresee in the next year or two us having to go somewhere else.

"That sucks because I like being a mom-and-pop shop in an area like this. I like St. Pete."​​