KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Egg prices and shortages alike are leaving businesses and consumers scrambling, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight anytime soon.
The average price for a dozen eggs in the U.S. jumped 50% in the past year.
National experts said rising cases of bird flu are the main reason for this price hike, because it’s directly impacted populations of chickens.
Extreme examples of this fallout have been popping up across the country.
Waffle House announced it was adding a 50-cent fee to all its egg products at more than 2,000 locations. And an egg robbery was caught on camera at a Seattle cafe.
"Back in the good old days, eggs were $30 for 15 dozen eggs, and now they're $110," Pegah's Family Restaurant owner Rameen Sharifi said.
Sharifi said an egg on the menu at his restaurant was once around 50 cents. Today, it's triple that.
"We don't want to have to raise our prices, but at the same time, you know, we're a business that has to, you know, stay in profit, has to pay our bills, pay our employees and these egg prices, it isn't making it easy," Sharifi said.
Consumers are stuck with high prices at grocery stores, too, if they can even find eggs on the shelves. Most recent data showed the average cost for a dozen is $5.29 today.
"Going to the store, the eggs, were a little pricier than usual," Shawnee resident Aubrey Hubeny said.
It's a price pain point that actually provides common ground for businesses and consumers: the struggle to afford eggs, and the need to have them.
"We have to buy these eggs at this price or else we're not going to have eggs," Sharifi said.
Pegah's isn’t the only restaurant trying to come up with the best solutions with the lowest impact.
McLain's Bakery said in part in a statement they've, "even considered buying our own chicken farm."
And Shawnee restaurant Rize N Shine said in part that they’re, "sourcing eggs from different suppliers to find better deals and ensure a steady supply."
Read the full statements from both restaurants below:
The recent surge in egg prices and supply shortages has significantly impacted local restaurants, including ours. As a beloved local eatery known for our breakfast dishes, these challenges are forcing us to reconsider our pricing strategies.
Our expenses have risen sharply. This creates a dilemma: if we absorb the higher costs, our profit margins shrink, which threatens our financial stability. On the other hand, raising menu prices too much could alienate our loyal customers who appreciate our affordability.
To navigate this, we’re exploring several strategies. We’re sourcing eggs from different suppliers to find better deals and ensure a steady supply. However, this can lead to inconsistencies in quality and availability, adding another layer of complexity to our operations.
Ultimately, our goal is to maintain the high quality and value that our customers expect while ensuring the sustainability of our business. It’s a challenging time, but we’re committed to finding creative solutions to keep serving our community.
We have been closely watching the cost of eggs and it unfortunately is making our day-to-day operations very difficult to control food costs. We will continue to monitor, and have even considered buying our own chicken farm.