Instead of increasing prices across its menu, the 24-hour breakfast chain is opting for “a temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices,” the Norcross, Georgia-based company said in a statement. “While we hope these price fluctuations will be short-lived we cannot predict how long this shortage will last.”
According to a forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the price of eggs will rise 20% this year.
Bird flu, formerly known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), was confirmed in a commercial flock in the U.S. three years ago. The outbreak has worsened in recent months, with 17 million egg-laying hens slaughtered in November and December, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. HPAI affected 85 commercial flocks, including egg-laying hens, in January alone.
The average price of a dozen large, grade-A eggs came to $4.15 in December, up from $3.65 in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Eggs are the most-ordered item at Waffle House, which operates about 2,100 locations in 25 states. The eatery serves 272 million eggs a year, according to its website. That compares with 153 million servings of hash browns and 124 million waffles.
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