Waffle House places surcharge on eggs as bird flu fallout hits consumers, businesses

The rising cost of eggs has been hitting consumers in the pocketbook, and now it's driving up costs for some businesses — with Waffle House announcing a temporary change to its prices.

Waffle House has placed a 50 cent surcharge on every egg, according to signage posted inside the restaurant and a statement provided by a company spokesperson. The decision was made to avoid increasing prices across the menu.

The Norcross-based chain said in the statement that the continuing egg shortage caused by the bird flu has caused "a dramatic increase in egg prices."

"Customers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions," the statement reads.

Waffle House also said it is continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow. It hopes the price fluctuations will be short-lived, but "we cannot predict how long this shortage will last," it said in the statement.

The chain, which has more than 2,000 locations across the country, says it sells more than 250 million eggs per year and more than a dozen family-operated farms supply its restaurants with eggs.

Bird flu and egg prices

Egg prices have nearly doubled since the start of 2024 due to bird flu spreading through the U.S. chicken population and reducing egg count.

The average price of a dozen eggs hit $4.14 in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the highest it reached in 2024, though it was not quite as high as January and February of 2023, when prices spiked at $4.82 and $4.21, respectively.

The H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has caused widespread disruption to poultry, egg and dairy farms across the country. Last month, Georgia reported its first two detections of bird flu in commercial chicken facilities, raising concerns for the state's powerhouse poultry industry.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the risk to humans from H5N1 is low, but public health officials fear the virus has the potential to morph into a pandemic.

After the first bird flu detection at a Georgia facility, the state Department of Agriculture announced a statewide suspension of all poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets and sales. A ban on those activities will remain in effect indefinitely.

But retail sales of chicken and eggs are not impacted. Georgia agriculture officials have stressed the state's food supply is safe.

Chicken and eggs are tested for the virus before they are harvested, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the risk of infected meat or eggs entering the supply chain is low. In the unlikely case infected product were to enter the supply chain, the agency says properly prepared and cooked chicken and eggs are still safe to eat because the heat kills the virus.

Broad impact

Waffle House isn't the only restaurant feeling the pain of egg prices. Metro Atlanta restaurateurs and bakers are keeping an eye on the impact to their own suppliers.

Lorenzo Wyche, owner of Breakfast Boys and High Noon Brunchery, said the egg news caught his attention about a week ago, and he's been monitoring it ever since. Eggs are a large part of Wyche's business since most menu items either involve eggs or are paired with one on the side.

Wyche said his wholesale distributor has raised prices since other suppliers are low on eggs due to the bird flu outbreak.

Wyche said 30 dozen large eggs were previously $150, and now that amount costs $230. He typically orders about 40 to 50 cases per week, and each case contains 30 dozen eggs.

To deal with the rising prices, Wyche said he'll start ordering medium instead of large eggs since it doesn't make a huge difference for brunch restaurants that are offering omelets and scrambled eggs. He said a case of medium eggs is about $165.

But he has decided not to raise prices or add a surcharge at this time.

"We're in the new age of breakfast where we take those margins ourselves," Wyche said. "So we're not actually as impacted as much because we're already charging what you would consider above market for what someone would charge for an omelet." An omelet at High Noon Brunchery ranges from $14-$16.

A traditional diner, on the other hand, keeps its costs low to begin with, he said, so they're more likely to have to raise prices in order to maintain a margin.

"We've already kind of built that margin in so good that the price fluctuation is not going to really kill us," he said.

Soraya Khoury, chef and owner of brunch restaurant Hen Mother Cookhouse, said she hasn't seen a significant price change in her eggs, so she plans to wait it out since it hasn't affected their bottom line yet. She said she's more worried about the cost of produce.

"I feel like it's just more important to stay consistent and kind of do a little bit more housekeeping, so less waste and attention to portion and things like that," she said.

Sarah O'Brien, owner of Little Tart Bakeshop, said her egg prices recently rose, but like Khoury, it hasn't been her main concern; she's seeing higher costs for raw ingredients across the board, especially chocolate and coffee.

"It's really an overall increase for us more than a story about about the eggs," she said.

Teresa Finney, who runs bakery At Heart Panaderia from her house, purchases her eggs from local markets, and while they have always been a hefty expense, "lately it's really been hurting my pockets," she said in a text message. To cope with the costs, she wants to introduce more eggless and vegan menu options.

"It definitely feels like I'm being forced to go this route sooner than I'm ready for it," she said.

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