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Written by: E. George
Published February 7, 2025 @ 3:45 PM ET
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – The Georgia-based company Waffle House, which currently has over 1,850 restaurants in 25 states, has announced a new surcharge on their menu due to an egg shortage caused by a severe outbreak of avian flu. This week, the chain began charging 50 cents more per egg for all of its menu items, bringing the cost of its signature two-egg breakfast dish up to $7.75.
The restaurant explained that their costs have increased drastically and stated, “While we hope these price fluctuations will be short-lived, we cannot predict how long this shortage will last.”
In December, the average price of a carton of eggs in the United States reached $4.15. Two years ago, egg prices reached an all-time high of $4.82 per carton.
The recent outbreak of bird flu has resulted in the culling of millions of chickens per month, and experts have not discussed any possible relief in the near future.
Waffle House explained that they will keep a close eye on the price of eggs and alter their surcharge accordingly. The chain typically serves approximately 272 million eggs each year.
The National Restaurant Association explained that it is “especially hard for breakfast-focused restaurants to manage” the dramatic increase in egg prices, which have increased almost 40% in the past 12 months.
Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs at the National Restaurant Association, said, “When shortages like this happen, operators work closely with their food suppliers to determine how it will impact them. There are several options operators consider, from changing their menus to increasing their prices.”
President and CEO of the American Egg Board, Emily Metz, stated, “Not to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re in this for a while. Until we have time without a detection, unfortunately, this very, very tight egg supply is going to continue.”
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