If backyard chicken owners ever felt like they’d made it in life, it was probably during the egg shortage (and subsequent price hike) we all witnessed earlier this year.
Not only did families feel the extra strain on their food budgets during the price hike, but some restaurants implemented temporary surcharges for dishes with eggs to help offset the cost.
Waffle House was one of the restaurants that opted for an egg surcharge…and there was some backlash about it.
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In February 2025, an outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) (also known as “bird flu”) overwhelmed poultry farms. Tens of millions of chickens either died or were killed (to try to slow the outbreak) in the US due to the bird flu outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) activated an emergency response to the bird flu on April 4th, 2025, and only recently deactivated it on July 2nd, 2025.
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Due to the significant loss of egg-laying chickens from avian flu, the supply became much more limited while demand remained the same. That’s why we saw egg prices jump from around $2.11 per dozen in October 2024 to a high of $8.17 per dozen in early March of this year.
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Some restaurants, like Waffle House, imposed a temporary 50-cent (per egg) surcharge to help offset the dramatic increase in egg prices. Waffle House’s egg surcharge began in February and was just lifted on July 2nd (the same day the CDC deactivated its emergency response).
While some customers were understanding of the reason behind the surcharge, there was some backlash, as there usually is with increasing prices…
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The Union of Southern Service Workers posted a video on YouTube in response to the Waffle House egg surcharge.
The caption reads: “Waffle House just added an egg surcharge, but let’s be clear: It’s not just customers who feel it—workers do too. As tipped workers, our income depends on customers. Higher prices often mean lower tips—while Waffle House rakes in more profit from its most-ordered item. Waffle House can afford to raise prices—so they can afford to raise our wages, too.”
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The union worker video was likely alluding to strikes that went on just last year, which prompted Waffle House’s CEO to raise base pay to $3 per hour (not including tips).
Customers were already feeling increased food costs and inflation before the big egg price hike. It’s understandable how the customer paying more for eggs could trickle down to the employees if those customers decide to tip less.
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Waffle House wasn’t the only chain to impose a temporary egg surcharge. Denny’s did the same, though the exact amount of the surcharge wasn’t widely broadcast.
However, the majority of restaurants opted NOT to implement a temporary egg surcharge…
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Several restaurants chose not to implement an egg surcharge, including:
- McDonald’s
- Wendy’s
- IHOP
- Hardee’s
- Carl’s Jr.
- Cracker Barrel
- Starbucks
However, some point their finger at restaurants like IHOP for raising their menu prices in general instead of saying it’s specifically because of the eggs…
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Even before the egg shortage, chain restaurant menu prices have been going up. According to a study by FinanceBuzz tracking 19 chain restaurants from 2020-2025, most of them raised their menu prices above the national average inflation rate during that same period. The amounts are pretty astonishing…
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According to the survey, IHOP has raised menu prices by 82% – the most of any of the chain restaurants. (Waffle House’s menu prices were found to be around 33% higher from 2020-2025.)
(With price increases that steep, it’s understandable how some people aren’t necessarily praising IHOP for not imposing an egg surcharge.)
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Egg prices are finally starting to stabilize. However, egg prices in May were still around 40% higher than they were a year prior.
Today, the national average price for a dozen eggs is around $2.62, while the average price this time last year was around $2.33 (so still around 12% higher).
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take 12% over 200% more expensive like they were at the worst of the shortage!
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The good news is that egg surcharges seem to be a thing of the past.
What are your thoughts on the temporary egg surcharge Waffle House imposed from February until just recently? Are restaurant prices in general keeping you from dining out as often? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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