A shortage of tomatoes from weather-battered Florida is forcing restaurants and supermarkets to ration supplies amid soaring prices for America's most popular fresh vegetable.

Fast-food restaurant chains such as Wendy's have stopped automatically including tomatoes in sandwiches; now customers have to know to ask.

Even then, consumers might not get what they usually do. At Lloyd's, a white-tablecloth restaurant across the street from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, signs went up this week warning that only plum tomatoes are available.

"People love having tomatoes in their salad and in sandwiches but we want people to know ahead of time that the quality just isn't what they are used to," said Sam Berngard, president of Taste America Restaurant Group LLC, which operates Lloyd's and two Chicago seafood restaurants.

Subway is continuing to offer tomatoes on its sandwiches but the chain is using different varieties to ensure that it has enough on hand.