Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press
Denny and Waffle House removed the extra charges that two restaurant chains added to their menu when egg prices surged at the start of the year.
Denny confirmed Thursday that he eliminated the egg charges on May 21st. Waffle House said on Wednesday on social media that it cancelled its additional charges on June 2nd.
Waffle House set an extra per 50 cents in February at all of its 1,900 US restaurants due to the rising egg prices. Denny also introduced additional fees in February, but they changed depending on where they were.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the January and February bird flu outbreaks caused a record average price of eggs of $6.23 per dozen in March.
Over 174.8 million wild birds and chicken were killed due to the virus that began circulation in January 2022. When a bird gets sick, the entire flock is killed and prevents the spread of highly infectious influenza. Large egg farms can have millions of birds, so mass massacres can affect egg supply.
Egg prices at grocery stores began to fall in April as bird flu cases fell and Easter demand eased. In May, the average retail price fell further to $4.55 per dozen. This was the lowest price since December, when eggs averaged $4.15 per dozen.
Increased egg imports also helped lower prices. US Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins said earlier this month that the US had imported 26 million dozen shelled eggs from Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Turkey and South Korea since January. The federal government has also approved three new facilities for receiving imported eggs.
The government has also completed nearly 1,000 biosecurity assessments on U.S. farms, helping farms pay for biosecurity upgrades, Rollins said.
Still, Rollins said autumn could be “potentially challenging” for egg producers. Wild birds often spread the avian influenza virus while on the move.
Original issue: July 3, 2025, 1:45pm EDT
