Waffle House, other companies add egg surcharge amid shortage
2025-02-05
Category: economic

Consumers are not only feeling the effects of high egg prices at the grocery store. Now, they&apos;re facing surcharges at restaurants. Ongoing outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) &quot;is making eggs as expensive for restaurants as they are for consumers, according to National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Sean Kennedy, who noted that the &quot;price increase is especially hard for breakfast-focused restaurants to manage.&quot;&#xA0; A prime example is the Waffle House, a Southern breakfast food chain Waffle House that implemented a temporary .50 per egg&#xA0;surcharge to all of its menus on Monday.&#xA0; The company blamed the ongoing egg shortage caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) &#x2014; or bird flu &#x2014; for the dramatic increase in egg prices, saying that &quot;consumers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.&quot;&#xA0; EGG PRICES AREN&apos;T COMING DOWN ANYTIME SOON, EXPERTS SAY  Experts have long warned that egg prices are likely to remain high as outbreaks of HPAI &#x2014; or bird flu &#x2014; continue to impact the U.S. laying hen flock, leading to higher prices in stores. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has predicted that egg prices, which can vary significantly from month to month, will increase by more than 20% by 2025. According to the USDA, prices were 36.8% higher in December 2024 than a year earlier, but they were still below peak prices in January 2023. Waffle House said, &quot;Rather than increasing prices across the menu, this is a temporary targeted&#xA0;surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices,&quot; the company said, adding that eggs will remain a key ingredient in its menu.&#xA0;  With more than 1,900 locations in 25 states, predominantly in the Midwest and the South, the company said it hopes &quot;these price fluctuations will be short-lived&quot; but that it cannot predict how&#xA0;long this shortage will last. &#xA0; BIRD FLU VACCINE: WHAT TO KNOW It plans to monitor egg prices, and &quot;will adjust or remove the&#xA0;surcharge as market conditions allow.&quot;&#xA0;  Kennedy noted that when shortages arise, operators will collaborate closely with their food suppliers to assess the impact, and subsequently, they will explore various options to mitigate the financial repercussions. This may involve altering their menus and raising prices. Kennedy also mentioned that the association is assisting operators in navigating this situation. Eric See, the owner and chef of the New York-based Mexican caf&#xE9; and bakery, Ursula, told FOX Business that the prices of whole eggs have doubled, while the cost of liquid eggs has risen by about 25%. The other issue, according to See, is that eggs are hard to come by. &quot;Availability is another issue, they arent always in stock,&quot; said See.&#xA0;  James Wong, co-owner of the San Francisco bakery Breadbelly, told Eater that his prices have surged by 150% over the past four months as a result of the nationwide outbreaks. Wong said the bakery, which sells breakfast sandwiches, may be forced to cut back on menu items since sourcing the right size of eggs has proven difficult as well. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE &quot;If we can&#x2019;t get the right size egg, then it&#x2019;s a different product for the customer,&quot; he told the outlet.&#xA0; FOX Business&apos; Kristen Altus contributed to this report.&#xA0;