Ovenbird Café’s customer-favorite breakfast slider loads an over-medium egg, spicy goat cheese, shaved Brussels sprouts, and ancho maple bacon on a brioche bun. For $5, it’s a tasty and filling way to start the day.
The ever-rising price of eggs, however, may cause that to change.
Chef and owner Jason Reed said he wants to keep his menu prices stable, but if prices continue to rise, he may no longer be able to do so.
“After a certain threshold, I’ll probably do small price increases and hope to keep them temporary,” he said. “I don’t like to be up and down with my prices, so I’ll try to absorb some of the hit as much as I can.”
As avian flu outbreaks continue to impact the nation’s egg supply, local restaurants are straddling the line of keeping their customers happy while keeping prices in check.
“As of now, we are riding the wave to see where things land,” said Allison Griggs, manager of the Butternut Bakehouse. “We have been discussing pricing internally and will have to make some price changes if there is no end in sight. For now, the only thing we see changing is our quiche and egg bites if things don’t come down soon.”
In its Feb. 20 report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated egg prices are continuing to rise with “little chance for improvement in the near term as highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to impact productive flocks.” The flu continues to devastate flocks nationally, with the American Farm Bureau Federation estimating 43 million egg-laying chickens were lost in January and February alone, representing about 25% of all birds impacted since the outbreak began in 2022. The report states that smaller egg farms have been hardest hit, with some downsizing or giving up altogether and quitting the industry.
In the Northeast, the USDA reported a dozen large eggs ranging in price from $3.99 to $7.99, with an average price of about $4.83 per dozen, about double the price recorded in 2023. Egg prices nationwide are expected to rise another 20% this year, with some restaurants, including the Waffle House chain, adding a surcharge to their menus for egg dishes.
At Market Basket in Maynard, customers are limited to two cartons of eggs.
In Belmont, things are not yet at that point, with restaurant owners absorbing rising costs before passing them to their customers.
Emilie Wiggin, vice president of Quebrada Baking Company, which also has locations in Arlington, Wellesley and Watertown, said the bakery goes through about 250 to 300 dozen eggs per week, serving about 10,000 customers at their locations. Their egg costs have tripled over the past year, but suppliers have assured them they will be able to continue to get eggs. They caution, however, that things will not get better for another six to nine months.
“We are just taking the hit on prices for right now,” she said. “We have not yet passed the prices on to the customers.”
Reed said Ovenbird keeps prices stable by purchasing from large-scale suppliers and smaller, local ones.
“Even though I like to support small businesses when I can have the most stability as far as prices, when there’s these big upturns like you’re seeing now with the eggs, to keep things fairer for the consumer, I give them a little bit more business,” he said. “But even they have started informing us to expect to see hikes soon.”
Reed said he is keeping an eagle eye on kitchen waste and adjusting recipes based on what size eggs are available week-to-week.
“You’re at the will of the market as far as what’s available in terms of size. I might find medium eggs at the same price as I found extra large prices the week before,” he said. “One week it might be a large egg, next week extra large, down to even medium sometimes. That just makes you have to think a little bit harder about how much it actually needs, as far as baking recipes go.”
The concern over high egg prices is yet another stress on restaurants, coming after pandemic closings, labor shortages, supply chain issues, higher rents, and the threat of tariffs causing shortages of avocados and other ingredients.
“It shows you how the small things can spiral out of control pretty quickly,” Reed said. “Something as simple as an egg, everyone just took for granted for so long. Maybe we don’t take things for granted; maybe we’re a little more diligent about how we are raising our animals and growing our food and making sure that the proper people are there to work those things and keep those industries going as planned.”
He added, “The cost of doing business has really gone up and it’s hard to keep up with it with just price increases. The equations that used to make sense for marking up your menu don’t make as much sense as they used to. Restaurant owners are trying to figure out new systems to make sure all the costs are covered and they’re still able to take home a living wage.”