(NEXSTAR) – Waffle House restaurants across the nation will be adding a 50-cent surcharge to every egg ordered amid soaring prices due to inflation and the bird flu epidemic.
The surcharge took effect Monday, according to a Waffle House memo shared with Nexstar.
“The continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (Bird Flu) has caused a dramatic increase in egg prices,” the memo reads. “Consumers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions. Effective February 3, Waffle House has implemented a temporary .50 per egg surcharge to all menus.”
In its memo, Waffle House said the price hike is intended to be “a temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices,” but did not indicate when the surcharges might be dropped.
“While we hope these price fluctuations will be short-lived we cannot predict how long this shortage will last,” the memo reads.
A representative for Waffle House did not disclose how the surcharge would be communicated to customers in-store. Photos posted to social media appear to show that some operators have posted notices on the windows or menus.
(Getty Images)
Egg prices in the United States are significantly more expensive than in 2024 — recent data from the Labor Department shows a nearly 40% increase since January 2024. The Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.
An outbreak of the bird flu that began in 2022 is largely to blame for skyrocketing egg prices. Anytime the virus is found on a poultry farm, the entire flock is slaughtered to help limit the virus’ spread. And with massive egg farms routinely housing more than 1 million chickens, just a few infections can cause a supply crunch.
Egg prices are soaring. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon
The problem tends to linger because it takes months to dispose of all the carcasses, disinfect barns and bring in new birds.
“Hopefully, hens will have start to develop some type of natural immunity to the bird flu, but we have not seen that yet and it will take many years for that to happen,” Patrick Penfield, a professor and supply chain expert at Syracuse University’s School of Management, told Nexstar in January.
Penfield, too, believes that prices will continue to climb, and even surpass a previous nationwide record average price ($4.82 per dozen) set in 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
