Waffle House Ends 50-Cent Egg Surcharge as Prices Plunge

While President Trump’s claims that five states now sell gasoline for less than $2 a gallon are demonstrably false, one claim he makes often these days is actually true: The price of eggs has plunged since he took office.The cost of a dozen white, large-shell eggs decreased another 19 cents last month to $2.54 per dozen, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On January 21, the day Mr. Trump took office, that same dozen eggs cost $6.49, according to data website Trading Economics. But things got worse before they got better. The price of a dozen eggs soared to more than $8 in March, the USDA reported, before beginning its steady descent back to earth. Things got so bad that in April, nearly a third of Americans (30 percent) stopped buying eggs, according to a study by Clarify Capital.Want proof that prices have plummeted? Egg costs have fallen so much that Waffle House announced it is removing the 50-cent egg surcharge it began adding to egg dishes in February. “Egg-cellent news,” Waffle House said on social media earlier this week. “The egg surcharge is officially off the menu.” The chain of more than 2,000 restaurants blamed a bird flu outbreak that led to the culling of tens of millions of chickens when it imposed the surcharge. But the price was also reflective of soaring inflation under President Biden, who took no action to stem the rise.Still, America is not rolling in eggs just yet. “Families are seeing relief with egg prices driving food deflation. We must remain diligent, and egg farmers and producers can continue to utilize USDA resources to conduct biosecurity assessments,” the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said in a statement last week.Despite the improvements, the American Egg Board has noted that rebuilding egg supplies remains a lengthy process. As of June 1, there were approximately 285 million egg-laying hens in the United States, down more than 6 percent from a year ago and nearly 13 percent lower compared to levels before the avian flu outbreak began in early 2022. For Waffle House, which serves an estimated 272 million eggs annually across its locations in 25 states, the temporary surcharge was a response to supply chain disruptions.Since the outbreak began in 2022, the flu affected more than 166 million birds, including 127 million egg layers, according to one report. That led to the loss of more than 42 million egg layers. The chain, known for its all-day, every-day service and cultural significance in the southeast, faced rising costs that it needed to offset during the height of the egg shortage. At its worst, other retailers joined in hiking their prices. During the crisis, some grocery stores went as far as imposing per-customer limits on egg purchases. For instance, Costco locations in some states restricted customers to three cartons, while Trader Joe’s stores limited purchases to a single dozen eggs per visit.

Waffle House Ends 50-Cent Egg Surcharge as Prices Plunge

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