(NewsNation) — Denny’s and Waffle House have removed surcharges the two restaurant chains put in place after egg prices in the U.S. spiked earlier this year.
In February, Waffle House instituted a 50-cent egg surcharge at all of its 1,900 locations because of the rising costs of eggs. Denny’s surcharge varied by location. Waffle House ended its surcharge June 2, while Denny’s ended it May 21.
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bird flu outbreaks in January and February caused the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs to skyrocket and hit a record high of $6.23 per dozen in March.
More than 174 million instances of the virus have been detected in U.S. aquatic birds, commercial poultry and backyard-hobbyist flocks since January 2022. When a bird gets sick, the entire flock is killed to keep the virus from spreading. Mass slaughtering can affect egg supplies because larger egg farms may have millions of birds.
Egg prices at grocery stores across the country began to decrease in April as bird flu cases fell and the demand during Easter eased. The average price fell to $4.55 per dozen in May. The U.S. has also relied on egg imports from outside the country, which helped lower prices as well.
