Denny’s latest restaurant to add surcharge due to rising egg prices

Denny’s is joining Waffle House by adding a surcharge to meals because of the skyrocketing egg prices.

The restaurant dubbed America’s Diner, will add an extra fee to any dish that includes eggs.

In a statement to ABC News, Denny’s said “This pricing decision is market-by-market, and restaurant-by-restaurant.” The chain did not specify which markets or restaurants would institute the surcharge.

Denny’s has 1,500 locations nationwide, CNBC reported.

The company will still have value meals including its special menu that has prices of between $2 and $8.

“We understand our guests’ desire for value, and we will continue to look for ways to provide options on our menu,” Denny’s said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Waffle House was one of the first restaurants to institute a 50-cent surcharge per egg, calling the move temporary.

Waffle House adds 50-cent egg surcharge on orders

Grocery stores have placed limits on how many eggs people can buy at one time, including Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Costco.

Trader Joe’s, Costco place limit on egg purchases amid shortage

The cost of eggs has risen dramatically due to the avian flu which has killed more than 140 million birds nationwide since 2022. About 18.9 million birds have been killed in the past 30 days, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CNN reported. More than 26.8 million egg-laying birds have been killed since the beginning of the year with the most killed in Ohio, with nearly 10 million birds culled in January and February, or about 37% of all birds put to death because of the bird flu outbreak, the USDA said in its latest report.

The current average price as of Feb. 21 was $3.99 for a dozen “conventional caged, large, white” eggs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A dozen cage-free, large brown eggs averaged $7.99 for the same period.

The agency called the supply “very light to light with little chance of improvement in the near-term,” CNBC reported.