Bad news for breakfast lovers: Waffle House is tacking a 50-cent surcharge on every egg it serves, thanks to skyrocketing egg prices that show no sign of coming back down.
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The beloved diner chain, known for its scattered, smothered and covered hash browns, announced the temporary charge via signs posted in its restaurants. The culprit? A relentless avian flu outbreak that’s devastating egg supplies across the country. Since January 2022, 108 million birds—75 million of them egg layers—have been wiped out, sending prices soaring. And the crisis only got worse at the end of 2024, when 17 million egg-laying hens were lost in just two months.
For a chain that cracks a staggering 272 million eggs a year, this is a major blow. Eggs even outrank Waffle House’s namesake waffles in popularity, so the price hike stings. The cost of a dozen large, grade-A eggs hit $4.15 in December, up 60% from the previous year—and over 160% higher than in 2019. Worse yet, the USDA predicts prices could climb another 20% in 2025.
Waffle House says it’s keeping an eye on egg costs and will adjust or drop the surcharge when market conditions improve. But for now, diners looking to fuel up on a classic All-Star Breakfast will have to shell out a little extra.