Rising cost of eggs causes Lynde's Restaurant in Osseo to get creative with pricing
OSSEO, Minn. — The surging price of eggs due to the bird flu has forced restaurants to make up for the loss in other ways. Waffle House, a national restaurant chain, announced they are putting a 50-cent surcharge on eggs. And they aren't alone.
"We sell a lot of eggs here. We got through about 45 to 50 cases a week," said Mark Lynde owner of Lynde's Restaurant and Catering in Osseo.
That's a lot of omelets and skillets, and it's become a high price to pay. Lynde's has been in business for more than 40 years, but they've never seen egg prices this high.
"In the last year, they've tripled. They went from 22 cents an egg up to 74 cents," said Lynde.
And it means they're now paying $12,000 more a month for eggs compared to a year ago. The price spike has forced the owner to do something he's never done before.
"We felt bad, but the only things we could do was go to the menu and we did a temporary surcharge of 35 cents per egg," said Lynde.
On Thursday morning, Lynde's put out notifications at tables and booths, letting their customers know about the surcharge and the reasons for it.
A bird flu resurgence that has killed millions of egg-laying hens has led to the price increase at grocery stores and restaurants. But Lynde's is learning that most customers are willing to pay the surcharge.
"I saw that on the board. I think that's a great way of doing it versus raising the price on every menu," said customer Tom Hommes.
Hommes eats at Lynde's several times a week. He says he's willing to shell out what it takes for his favorite breakfast meal.
"I had a breakfast skillet this morning. With a couple eggs on top as a matter of fact," said Hommes.
As soon as prices drop to below 50 cents an egg, Lynde's will drop the surcharge. In the meantime, they're hoping their loyal customers understand the dilemma they're in.
"We are not looking to make any money. All we are trying to do is keep our doors open and keep our business flattened in sales," said Lynde.
Lynde's said in just the past six months, they noticed egg prices double from 35 cents an egg to 70.
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