(NEXSTAR) – Cracker Barrel looks to be wooing Waffle House’s breakfast crowd with a new deal for loyal customers.
The company announced Thursday that members of its Cracker Barrel Rewards program who order egg dishes through Wednesday, Feb. 12, will earn double points — or “pegs,” as Cracker Barrel calls them — which can be redeemed for future food or retail purchases.
In a statement shared with Nexstar, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson suggested that its new egg deal is a direct response to Waffle House’s decision to begin charging a surcharge for every egg ordered.
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“A surcharge on eggs? Well, there’s nothing hospitable about that. At Cracker Barrel, country hospitality is as important to us as a hearty breakfast — and that means not charging extra for eggs,” the spokesperson said.
On Facebook, Cracker Barrel further confirmed that its “egg prices are staying the same,” despite the rewards deal.
A Cracker Barrel location in Indianapolis is pictured in 2016. (Getty Images)
Earlier this week, Waffle House announced that it had instituted a 50-cent surcharge for every egg ordered at restaurants nationwide, blaming an “unprecedented rise in egg prices” amid shortages caused by the bird flu, according to a Waffle House memo shared with Nexstar.
In the memo, Waffle House said the price hike is intended to be “a temporary targeted surcharge,” but did not indicate when the additional fee 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 was not immediately available for comment on Cracker Barrel’s announcement.
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Egg prices in the United States, meanwhile, are significantly more expensive than in 2024. Recent data from the Labor Department shows a nearly 40% increase since January 2024, and 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 the skyrocketing 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.
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“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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
