Eateries are contending with high costs of eggs amid an ongoing shortage and a reported Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into sky-high prices.
Some restaurants have been introducing surcharges on eggs in recent weeks to help them cope with increased costs they’ve been encountering for the product.
Mary Josephine Generoso, the manager of Pasticceria Rocco in New York City, told FOX Business correspondent Madison Alworth on Monday during the “The Big Money Show” that the eatery “initially thought when we looked at one of our invoices that the pricing was incorrect or we were getting scammed” because egg prices were so high.
“We actually called another vendor who confirmed the egg prices,” Generoso said. “Last week alone, they were upwards of $230, so it’s just crazy. It’s an exuberant amount of money.”
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“As of last week, they were $230 for 30 dozen,” Generoso said of the cost of eggs for the restaurant she manages in the interview. “Back in December, it was about $122 for a case of 30 dozen, and just a few years back, we were looking at anywhere between $38 to $60.”
Because of egg prices, Rocco has put in place a small surcharge on egg sandwiches and omelets, Alworth reported.
Major chains Waffle House and Denny’s implemented egg surcharges last month. The temporary surcharge at Waffle House restaurants was 50 cents per egg, while Denny’s told FOX Business at the time that “pricing decisions are being made market-by-market, and restaurant-by-restaurant due to the regional impacts of the egg shortage.”
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, have caused eggs to be in short supply in the U.S. and contributed to high prices for many consumers and businesses.
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged a cost of $4.95 in January, 80 cents more expensive than the prior month and $2.43 pricier than January of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The agency reported the Consumer Price Index showed a 53% year-over-year jump in the cost of eggs in January.
A report released last week by the Department of Agriculture pegged the price for “national trading of trucklot quantities of graded, loose, White Large shell eggs” at $6.85 per dozen.
Reports surfaced late last week that the DOJ was probing egg prices.
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Antitrust enforcers with the department are looking into the cause of rising prices, including whether egg producers have conspired to artificially inflate them by holding back supply, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
The years-long bird flu epidemic has been “devastating” for the industry and its farmers and caused supply issues, according to a U.S. egg marketing organization.
“Since January of 2025, the start of this year, we’ve lost more than 30 million birds and counting,” American Egg Board CEO Emily Metz told FOX Business. “Last week was actually the first week we went a full week without a new farm having an outbreak of the avian flu, so this impact has been devastating on our industry. It’s been devastating on our farmers and, like I said, our farmers are in the fight of their lives.”
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a plan to “curb highly pathogenic avian influenza, protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices.” It will involve a $1 billion investment.
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According to the USDA, $500 million of the funds will go towards biosecurity measures, while $400 million will help farmers financially impacted by the epidemic. Vaccine research will get $100 million, it said.
In 2024, per capita egg consumption in the U.S. amounted to 37.8 pounds, according to IBISWorld.
Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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