Another fast-food restaurant chain is adding an egg surcharge as prices continue to surge nationwide because of bird flu.
Why It Matters
Egg prices have surged nationwide due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has significantly reduced the number of egg-laying hens. Average egg prices hit an all-time high last month, reaching an average $4.95 for a dozen, up from $4.15 in December.
Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/AP
What To Know
North Carolina-based, fast-food company Biscuitville has hiked its prices up for eggs, charging 50 cents more for each one served, the company told The News & Observer in an emailed statement.
The company added that it had decided to hike up prices because the rising price of eggs has become “unsustainable.”
This temporary increase is in effect for all Biscuitville restaurants. There are nearly 90 outlets across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Biscuitville is the third large brand to announce egg surcharges recently. Others that have done so include Denny’s, which said it plans to charge extra for orders containing eggs, varying by region and location, according to CBS News. Waffle House has also raised prices, putting a 50 cent surcharge on each egg, according to The Associated Press.
It comes as bird flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens every month. The virus led to the culling of 13.2 million commercial egg-laying hens in December alone, with total bird losses nearing 145 million since the outbreak began in 2022.
While price hikes are common ahead of Easter due to increased demand, this year’s surge is being driven primarily by supply disruptions.
But not all retailers have been affected in the same way by the supply issues. McDonald’s has pledged not to add a surcharge to menu items that include eggs, setting it apart from competitors such as Waffle House and Denny’s.
McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger emphasized the company’s commitment to breakfast affordability, saying, “At McDonald’s, breakfast isn’t just a meal; it’s a cherished tradition and cornerstone of our brand.”
The company also announced that it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Egg McMuffin by offering a $1 promotional deal on selected breakfast sandwiches.
In January, the first U.S. human fatality linked bird flu was reported in Louisiana. There have been 67 confirmed bird flu infections of humans in the U.S. since 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials urge anyone who has contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including using respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.
This week, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins outlined a plan to combat surging egg prices.
Rollins said the plan includes a $500-million investment to strengthen biosecurity measures for farmers, $400 million in aid for those affected by avian flu, and $100 million for research into vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks.
Additionally, the administration is negotiating to import 70 million to 100 million eggs from other countries in the coming months, Rollins said.
She did not specify which countries would provide egg imports as part of the plan, but Canada, which has been a target of Trump’s trade policies, is the largest importer of eggs to the U.S. In 2023, Canada exported $44.1 million-worth of eggs to the U.S., according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
What People Are Saying
Biscuitville told The News & Observer in an emailed statement: “The price everyone is paying for eggs has risen dramatically due to the nationwide egg supply shortage, and the rising cost has become unsustainable for us.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News: “The American taxpayers, American consumers and American poultry farmers have relief coming right around the corner.”
President Donald Trump said during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting: “These eggs are a disaster. The secretary of agriculture is going to be showing you a chart that’s actually mind-boggling what’s happened. How low they were with us [in the first Trump term], how high they are now. I think we can do something about it.”
What Happens Next
Rollins said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday that the new strategies “won’t erase the problem overnight, but we’re confident that it will restore stability to the egg market over the next three to six months.”