The USDA projects prices could rise even further in 2025, reaching $5 per dozen or more.
DALLAS — The current egg shortage is being felt at restaurants that rely heavily on eggs, including in North Texas.
“We’re called Eggsellent, of course we need eggs,” says the Oak Cliff cafe’s manager Yessica Montanez, highlighting how essential eggs are to their menu.
Eggsellent Café goes through many cases of eggs in a week.
But these days, the need for eggs is complicated by a major shortage caused by bird flu outbreaks that began in 2022. The avian flu wiped out millions of chickens, leading to a significant supply and demand issue that’s driving prices skyward.
“Let’s not overcomplicate this. It’s just nature doing us dirty,” Economist and SMU Professor Michael Davis said.
Before the bird flu, eggs were relatively affordable. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 2020, the average price for a dozen eggs was just $1.50. Fast forward to 2024, and that price has jumped to $4.15. The USDA projects prices could rise even further in 2025, reaching $5 per dozen or more.
Empty store shelves and limits on how many eggs customers can buy have become the norm. For Jose, a manager at Eggsellent, this means shopping around for the best deal, often venturing outside of Dallas.
“It varies in different locations. We sometimes go to Denton County, we look over and compare prices here in Dallas,” Montanez said.
Montanez tells WFAA they remember paying about $20 for a case of eggs, now it’s jumped to $100 to $105.
Back at Eggsellent, the café is feeling the pinch. Normally, their fridge would be stocked with eggs, but with prices high and availability low, they’ve been forced to ration their supply.
“While all of us hate high prices, those high prices are serving a function,” explains Davis. “It’s a cruel rationing system, but it works better than any other.”
The café has adjusted its prices and even tweaked the menu, acknowledging that, though customers might find it too expensive, they are simply responding to the economic reality.
“It’s not that we want to do it, it’s just the economy,” Montanez said.
