Waffle House has eliminated the 50-cent surcharge it had been adding to every egg served at its roughly 1,900 U.S. restaurants. The chain said the levy, which came off menus on June 2 and was announced publicly on July 1, is no longer needed because egg costs have retreated.
The extra charge was imposed in early February after a wave of highly pathogenic avian influenza forced producers to cull flocks and sent the average retail price of a dozen Grade A eggs to a record $6.23 in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 174.8 million birds have been destroyed since the virus began circulating in 2022, shrinking supplies for grocers and restaurants alike.
Egg prices have since eased. USDA data show the average retail price slipped to $4.55 per dozen in May, while wholesale eggs averaged $2.54 last week. The moderation has prompted other diners to follow suit; Denny’s scrapped its own egg surcharge on May 21.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins credited the reversal to tighter farm biosecurity, nearly 1,000 government assessments, and emergency imports of about 26 million dozen eggs from overseas. Officials warn, however, that renewed outbreaks during the fall migration season could again strain supplies.
