The rising cost of eggs has left local restaurant owners grappling with difficult choices, from raising menu prices to adjusting portion sizes. With the ongoing avian flu outbreak decimating poultry populations and disrupting supply chains, egg prices have reached unprecedented levels, putting a strain on businesses that rely heavily on the staple ingredient.
At a Jewel-Osco in Palos Hills, a dozen eggs were priced at $8.99—a sharp increase from just months ago. Nationwide, the average retail egg price has climbed to $4.90 per dozen, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marking an all-time high. But for restaurant owners buying in bulk, the price hikes have been even more staggering.
At Cafe 63 in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge community, owner Dale Andrews shared that the price for a container of 15 dozen eggs jumped from $15.95 to $124 in just a week.
“We’re a breakfast place, so it hit me right between the eyes,” Andrews said. While some restaurants have opted to implement temporary surcharge fees to offset costs, Andrews has chosen to absorb the increase himself, believing the spike to be temporary.
“I know my customers, and I’d rather take the hit for now than drive them away with higher prices.”
Beyond price hikes, Andrews is also struggling with supply shortages.
“You can visibly see the shortage,” he said. “At Restaurant Depot, there just aren’t that many eggs. And if you try to buy from a regular grocery store, there are limits—two dozen per person. That doesn’t even get me through the first hour of breakfast service.”
Frank Salman, owner of Royalberry Waffle House & Restaurant in Palos Heights, echoed these concerns. He recalled paying just 39 cents per dozen a few years ago. Now, he considers himself lucky if he can find eggs for $3.15 per dozen, with larger eggs costing over $7.
“For 20 years, we gave customers an extra egg with their order—just a little something extra,” Salman said. “Now, I had to stop doing that. It’s just not affordable anymore.”
Due to the drastic increase, Salman has also slightly reduced portion sizes. Despite raising menu prices by at least a dollar per item, he remains committed to keeping costs reasonable for his primarily senior-citizen customer base.
“I don’t want to price-gouge. My customers rely on us. But it’s getting harder every day.”
The crisis has also hit Stacked Pancake House, a restaurant with locations in Oak Lawn and Crestwood. Owner Thomas Demacopoulos noted that his two locations go through 25 to 30 cases of eggs weekly, each containing 30 dozen eggs.
“Prices are changing by the hour,” Demacopoulos said. “Suppliers won’t lock in rates anymore, so we’re left guessing what we’ll pay each week.”
The uncertainty stems from the ongoing avian flu outbreak, which has drastically reduced egg supplies and caused prices to soar. The current HPAI outbreak has been detected in all 50 states and has affected egg supply every month since February 2022, leading to an 8% decrease in the U.S. egg-laying hen population, according to industry analysts.
Many Illinois-based suppliers, such as Eggs Unlimited, Meadowbrook Egg & Dairy, D&M Egg Company Inc., and Joe’s A Food Distributors Inc., have been adjusting their pricing strategies in response to the unstable market conditions. In addition to supply issues, shifting consumer preferences are also playing a role in keeping prices high. The demand for eggs has grown significantly, with U.S. consumption increasing from about 275 eggs per capita in 2015 to nearly 300 by 2020. The push for cage-free eggs in states like California, where millions of egg-laying hens were lost to HPAI, has further strained supply.
“We’ve had to raise prices a little, but cutting portion sizes isn’t an option,” Demacopoulos said. “If customers feel like they’re getting less, they won’t come back.”
At Steak-n-Egger in Summit, owner Terrence Carr has also struggled to keep up with skyrocketing prices and uncertain supply.
“Sometimes you order eggs for Monday, and they don’t arrive until Wednesday,” Carr said. “It’s completely unpredictable. I was holding out as long as I could, but they’re forcing our hand to raise prices.”
Like other restaurant owners, Carr hesitated to raise prices due to the high cost of updating menus and software.
“It’s not as simple as just changing the price—we have to reprint everything, update digital menus, and that costs thousands of dollars.”
Despite the challenges, Carr remains skeptical that prices will ever return to pre-outbreak levels, fearing suppliers will settle on a “new normal” that keeps costs permanently inflated.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see $26 a case again. The suppliers know what they can get away with now, and they’ll keep pushing.”
Restaurant owners are also exploring alternatives to combat the crisis. Some are skeptical that prices will drop anytime soon.
“I thought it was temporary two years ago, but it’s only gone up,” said Salman. “I don’t see this coming down the way people think it will.”
Some have begun experimenting with liquid eggs or plant-based substitutes, though customer reactions remain mixed.
“We have the option of liquid eggs, but it’s just not the same,” Carr said. “Customers don’t want that in their omelets.”
Demacopoulos agreed.
“We’ve looked into alternatives, but the taste and texture just aren’t the same,” he said. “People come here for real eggs. If we start using substitutes, they’ll notice.”
Others worry about passing additional changes onto customers who are already adjusting to increased prices.
“I’ll do what I have to do to survive,” Carr said. “But I don’t want to serve something I wouldn’t eat myself.”
Across the board, restaurant owners agree: The impact of rising egg prices is felt daily, and there’s no quick fix in sight. Industry experts believe egg prices may peak within the next few months and could start to ease by summer, as demand typically softens during warmer months. However, restaurant owners remain skeptical, fearing that current prices will become the new normal.
“I thought this was temporary two years ago,” Salman said. “It hasn’t gone down. It’s only gone up.”
For now, breakfast lovers may notice slightly higher prices at their favorite diners as owners work to navigate the ongoing challenges.
This article includes reporting from the Illinois Farm Bureau/Illinois Press Association agriculture news service collaborative.
