Waffle House began adding a temporary 50-cent per egg surcharge on Monday due to the egg shortage caused by the ongoing bird flu outbreak, the company wrote in an emailed statement.
“Rather than increasing prices across the menu, this is a temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices,” the company said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that egg prices could rise as much as 20% this year compared to an overall 2.2% increase in food prices, according to USA Today.
Many local and independent restaurants have been feeling the pinch of the egg shortage. One operator in Troy, New York, said the cost of a case of eggs is up $100, resulting in a $1,500 increase in egg costs each week. On an annual basis, that is a $75,000 increase, the operator said. The Frog Pond. in St. Petersburg, Florida, which uses eggs in most menu items, said menu prices have increased between $0.75 and $1.00 to make up for rising egg prices.
Waffle House said it would continue to use Grade A Large eggs as a key ingredient in many meals as long as the eggs are available.
Waffle House will continue to monitor egg prices and “adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow.”
“While we hope these price fluctuations will be short-lived we cannot predict how long this shortage will last,” the company said.
