The impact of bird flu continues to drive up egg prices nationwide, including for families and businesses in the Metroplex.
Tuesday, Waffle House announced a new surcharge of 50 cents per egg to offset the surging costs. NBC 5 spoke with DFW businesses trying to keep their bottom lines from cracking under the pressure.
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WATCH HEREA Dallas institution for decades, Mama’s Daughters’ Diner feels like a place where everyone knows your name, and the regulars know exactly how much their go-to breakfasts will cost — until now.
“The price of eggs have gone up astronomically,” said Anne Marie Wilson, senior manager at Mama’s Daughters’ Diner.
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SIGN UP In the past year, the average cost of a dozen eggs in the U.S. has risen 50%, from $3.50 in February 2024 to $5.29 in January 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NBC News reports the increase has accelerated since November due to widespread bird flu cases.
In May 2023, managers said Mama’s Daughters’ Diner paid $22 for a case of 180 eggs. As of this week, the cost has increased to $101.25 per case—and they use nearly 90,000 eggs a month across their four locations.
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“We’re going to have to put a surcharge starting this weekend,” Wilson said. “It hurts everyone. It hurts the customers, the big man, the little man, everyone in between.”
It’s been the same story at Del Norte Bakery in Dallas. The owner told NBC 5 that their cost per case of eggs has more than doubled in recent months, and they’ve been trying to avoid raising prices or using egg substitutes.
“We don’t want to do anything that’s not fresh egg,” said Anette Delira. “So definitely no powders, no gelatins, nothing like that.”
For some in the Metroplex, cheap eggs haven’t been hard to find. They’re literally in their backyard. Michael Jimenez started his urban egg farm in 2022 during a previous surge in egg prices.
“My prices have stayed the same,” said Jimenez, owner of JMZ Farms. “If anything, I’ve honestly gained more customers and more traction online from people now looking for eggs locally.”
Jimenez said local vendors not hit by national supply chain issues could be a way to buy cheaper eggs right now.
Others can only hope this rapid "egg-flation" dies down soon.
“It’s just very sad,” Wilson said. “It’s not just affecting us, it’s affecting everyone.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 13 million hens in the U.S. have been lost to bird flu or slaughtered since December.
