Waffle House customers will soon be paying more for their breakfast. Starting Monday, the diner chain is tacking on a 50-cent surcharge per egg due to skyrocketing egg prices.
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Soaring Egg Prices Hit Waffle House: What it Means For You

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Waffle House customers will soon be paying more for their breakfast. Starting Monday, the diner chain is tacking on a 50-cent surcharge per egg due to skyrocketing egg prices.

🥚 Why It Matters: Eggs are a staple for breakfast, and higher prices hit both restaurants and customers hard. The surge is being driven by bird flu outbreaks, which have wiped out millions of egg-laying hens, causing supply shortages and higher costs.

🧇 What’s Happening: Waffle House, based in Georgia, announced the temporary surcharge in response to rising egg prices. The company cited the ongoing bird flu outbreak as the main reason for the price hike. The restaurant chain says it will monitor egg prices and remove the surcharge when market conditions improve.

🦠 Between the Lines: The current avian flu outbreak started in 2022 and has led to the culling of over 145 million birds—the majority being egg-laying hens. When bird flu is detected on a farm, the entire flock is destroyed to prevent further spread, worsening the supply crunch. It takes months to replace flocks and get egg production back to normal.

📉 Egg Prices Keep Climbing: The average price of a dozen eggs in the U.S. hit $4.15 in December—not far from the record $4.82 per dozen in 2022. The USDA predicts another 20% price increase this year. Some stores have limited egg purchases due to shortages.

🏛 The Big Picture: Several states, including California, Washington, and Michigan, have cage-free egg laws, requiring more space for hens. These laws are driving up costs, adding to the price surge.

For now, Waffle House fans will have to shell out a little extra for their eggs. The question is: How long will prices keep climbing?


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