Denny’s Slaps Surcharge on Eggs as Prices Continue To Soar

Denny’s is feeling the pinch of the ever-increasing price of eggs, leading “America’s Diner” to add a surcharge to its egg-based dishes.

ABC News reports that the company claimed the premium is essential due to the nationwide egg shortage and escalating costs.

“Some of our restaurant locations will need to temporarily add a surcharge to every meal that includes eggs. This pricing decision is market-by-market, and restaurant-by-restaurant due to the regional impacts of the egg shortage,” the restaurant chain said in a statement to the outlet.

The company also emphasized its commitment to keeping meals cheap despite rising prices. Denny’s stated that it would continue to offer value options, such as its $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu, while watching market conditions. However, the corporation declined to provide detailed information on which locations might be affected, claiming that the situation is still fluid.

“Denny’s remains committed to providing our guests with delicious meals they love at the value they expect. We do our best to plan ahead with our vendors on items like eggs to minimize the impact market volatility has on our costs and menu pricing,” the statement continued.

Denny’s Joins Waffle House in Adding an Egg Surcharge

“America’s Diner” is just the latest company to join the egg surcharge trend. Earlier this month, Waffle House announced that it, too, was adding a 50-cent surcharge to all its egg-based dishes.

“The continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (bird flu) has caused a dramatic increase in egg prices,” Waffle House said in a statement to CNN. “Customers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.”

This move prompted a now-viral clapback from Cracker Barrel, which insisted that it wouldn’t be following the trend. “A surcharge on eggs? Well, there’s nothing hospitable about that. At Cracker Barrel, country hospitality is as important to us as a hearty breakfast — and that means not charging extra for eggs,” the company said in a statement to TODAY.

Yet, not everyone thinks these temporary surcharges are terrible. “COVID surcharges” began to appear during the pandemic’s peak to help restaurants cope with the associated difficulties, while other service fees began to appear in 2022 to balance inflationary pressures.

Surcharges, as long as the rationale for the add-on price is adequately explained, are viewed as a more transparent way to pass on specific costs directly to customers.