You now have to pay more for eggs in SC Waffle Houses. Here’s what to know
For South Carolinians, the effect of bird flu was seen earlier this week when Waffle House announced that it would temporarily raise its menu prices by $0.50, starting Monday, Feb. 3.
The current outbreak of bird flu has been drastically affecting the price of eggs over the past month, with the cost of a dozen Grade A eggs 60% higher than they were this time last year.
Bird flu is a highly contagious virus that is most common in chickens and other poultry.
This outbreak first began in 2022, but often spikes in the winter months. The flu usually spikes in the winter due to wild birds migrating, which spreads the virus as they fly South in the colder months.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 153 million birds have been affected in the United States as of Feb. 5. This season has been particularly bad because this specific strain of flu has also reached dairy herds, hurting that produce too.
Grocery stores are struggling to stock their shelves and even wild birds have been affected by this new strain of virus.
The daytime manager of the Waffle House located on Independence Boulevard, Luke D., stated that “Even though the price change has happened, we haven’t seen a decrease in business and will keep serving our customers to the best of our ability.”
Waffle House Executive Offices has promised to continue monitoring the prices of eggs and will adjust or remove the surcharge as the market conditions change.
There is still no end in sight to the current egg shortage, but as temperatures continue to rise, the USDA says heat and sunlight help degrade the virus.
For now, all Waffle House locations have implemented this surcharge to keep up with the price and demand of eggs for their popular menu items.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 10:50 AM.
