Denny’s and Waffle House have recently decided to lift the extra charges they had added to their menus during a period of rising egg prices in the U.S. Denny’s made this announcement on May 21, while Waffle House shared the news on June 2 via social media.
Earlier this year, Waffle House had implemented a 50-cent surcharge for each egg at its nearly 1,900 locations due to the increasing costs of eggs. Denny’s also introduced a surcharge, which varied from one location to another.
The surge in egg prices was primarily driven by outbreaks of bird flu that occurred in early 2023, resulting in the average price for a dozen Grade A eggs reaching an alarming $6.23 in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 174 million birds, both wild and domestic, have been affected by this virus, which has been present since early 2022. To control the spread, entire flocks must be killed whenever a single bird is found to be infected, impacting overall egg supply, particularly from larger egg production farms.
Fortunately, by April, egg prices at grocery stores began to decline as bird flu cases decreased and the demand that had surged for Easter subsided. By May, the average price for a dozen eggs had dropped to $4.55, the lowest since December when prices were around $4.15.
Additionally, the U.S. has seen an increase in egg imports, which has further contributed to lower prices. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins noted that since January, over 26 million dozen shell eggs have been imported from various countries including Brazil, Mexico, and South Korea. The federal government has also approved new facilities for handling these imports and has completed numerous biosecurity assessments to support U.S. farms.
However, Rollins did mention that conditions could remain “potentially challenging” for egg producers. The risk is that the avian flu can spread as wild birds migrate.
