Waffle House passes along the sky high cost of eggs to eateries: npr

A Waffle House sign is shown in Indianapolis 19 February 2024.

Isabella Volmert/AP

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Isabella Volmert/AP

New York – The restaurant chain in Waffle House puts a 50 cents per day. Egg tax in place due to the largest bird flu outbreak for a decade.

The 24-7 restaurant said the resulting egg deficiency has led to a dramatic increase in its costs.

Birdfluenza forces farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month and push us egg prices to more than doubled their costs in the summer of 2023. And it seems that there may be no relief in sight with Easter approaching.

The average price per Dozen eggs nationwide hit $ 4.15 in December. It’s not as high as the $ 4.82 record two years ago, but the agricultural department predicts that egg prices will hover another 20% this year.

Waffle House, a reliable source of a cheap breakfast, said its egg base comes into force this week and that it applies to all its menus. The restaurant’s two-egg breakfast coming with toast and one side was listed for $ 7.75 on Tuesday.

“While we hope these price fluctuations will be short -lived, we cannot predict how long this deficiency will last,” the company said.

The company continues to monitor egg prices and said it will adjust or remove the additional fee that market conditions allow.

Last month, the first US human mortality was associated with bird flu reported in Louisiana. There have been 67 confirmed bird flu infections in people in the United States since 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The H5N1 bird flu has spread a lot among wild birds, poultry, cows and other animals. Its growing presence in the environment increases the chances of people being exposed and potentially catching it, officials have said, though it rarely stays.

Health officials encourage anyone who has contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including airway and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.

Waffle House, based in Georgia, has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.

Pete & Gerry’s Organics also faced a difficult situation with its eggs in Antrim Township, Pennsylvania, when 100,000 of them were stolen from the back of its distribution trailer on Saturday night, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Law enforcement examines theft of eggs of approx. $ 40,000.