Record-high egg prices are affecting practically every egg eater nationwide — so much so that Waffle House has now placed a 50-cent surcharge on every egg it sells to combat the rising costs.
The surcharge officially went into effect on Feb. 3 at Waffle House’s nearly 2,000 restaurant locations across 25 states.
“Rather than increasing prices across the menu, this is a temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices,” Waffle House said in a statement obtained by TODAY.com. The chain also assured its customers that “quality, fresh-cracked Grade A large eggs will remain a key ingredient” in many of its signature recipes.
Egg prices have been on the rise in recent years due to a recent bird flu outbreak, which continues to threaten the livelihood of poultry flocks. Last June, a flock of approximately 103,000 turkeys in Cherokee County, Iowa, was reportedly infected with bird flu, per the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Another outbreak was reported amongst a flock of about 4.2 million egg-laying chickens in Sioux County, Iowa. In December, a patient in Louisiana was hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed.
“The continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (bird flu) has caused a dramatic increase in egg prices,” Waffle House said in a separate statement to CNN. “Customers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.”
Waffle House told TODAY that they aren’t sure when the surcharge will be dropped for good.
“We are continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow,” the chain said.
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