What are you doing to combat the high EGG prices?

[Donnie-M]

I added a surcharge modifier that required 1 choice with both choices being an upcharge for my egg dishes.  I hated to do it, but I did it this way so online orders HAD to pick the upcharge to get the item.  They also couldn't say they didn't know about it (one tried).

I have featured a breakfast special that doesn't have eggs to try to drive some business there, what are you doing?

[nika]

Oof. Tough topic but great question @Donnie-M . Would love to get some other folks in on this convo.

@pworms @BBCafe1 @Wakery @momas_cafe @SVLFever @Arminius @makedonas @PizzaDive @JamesSandbar 

[Donnie-M]

@nika How about we find @chickenlittle or @henhouse and see what we can do about this 4reelz!!!

[doc_choc]

@Donnie-M it was on our UK news yesterday that the prices pressures are easing for eggs in the US which is great news for you, I was watching The President saying he has the price of eggs under control. Hopefully the prices continue to fall to a more normal level. However if its anything like this side of the pond prices never return back to anywhere near where they should/need to be. So last year for chocolate we these crazy price increases, a 40% increase in June on our feedstock price, then a month later another 40% increase. The indicators suggest for 2025 we should see a 13% reduction and a 2% reduction for 2026. April 2025 we have another price increase of 14%. There always seems to be a justification for a price increase but never a really good explanation as to why any price reduction is so slow to appear and when it does its is so tidily. 🤔

[Donnie-M]

@doc_choc exactly, my pricing will be higher as I have to recoup some of the time before I adjusted prices.  It's like gas you pay the price to replace it from the retailer, not what they bought it for.  Some of my pricing needed adjustment anyway.  Really with avian flu, once they cull a flock, it just takes time to raise new hens.  Luckily, the turn around time isn't forever, but we really need to look at as much as we can to vaccinate for it.  I hate to see such waste of livestock as the only measure to stop the spread.

[doc_choc]

@Donnie-M I'm with you on this. We seem to mirroring you just a different product. Same with our pricing, even with gradual price increases with the input materials over the years, let alone these crazier inflationary prices we should have been increasing our product prices to keep inline, but I sat on it for lots of reasons, too busy, don't want to rock the boat with the customers etc but really the price is the price. As for the bird flu, the decision makers in the world can all point fingers at each other but at the end of the day it's here, and it just needs to be handled in a way that looks after the safety of the consumer and the welfare of the chickens. Again we see similar issues this side of the pond. I demand egg on my full English Breakfast and I'm willing to pay for it! 😂

[SVLFever]

Fortunately for me @Donnie-M , we don't normally open until 11am.  It's only special event/tournament days that we open before 10am and we offer breakfast.  Since it's such a low frequency, I have let it slide, as we don't do a lot of breakfast on tournament days anyway (it's mostly spectators that eat).

With that being said, I am wondering why chickens haven't gone up proportionately (insert your own chicken and the egg joke here).  I have noticed though that Dominos removed chicken from their pizza topping selection.   To answer your question, a temporary price increase to offset?  Much like the "delivery fee" that occurred during the gas crisis a few years ago?

Just my $.02.

[Donnie-M]

Yeah, the egg pricing jump has not been fun, but the chicken prices staying put is a real head-scratcher, I have even had some of my employees ponder this to me—guess the market finally solved the chicken-or-the-egg debate! 🐔🥚

As for temporary price increases, that seems to be the go-to move, but we all know how often those ‘temporary’ fees stick around… Looking at you, delivery surcharges!

[Minion]

I thin that is a great thing you implemented with doing a special other than with eggs.  I don't have the problem in my business but I love food, so just here to make myself hungry thinking of he food. 

[Donnie-M]

YEa, it hurts when you look at your wallet and your food and you go, been nice knowing you.....wallet cries in the dark.

[doc_choc]

@Donnie-M I heard something about this egg problem you have in the US, awful situation. A cooked breakie needs an nice egg 😋. Similar but different, we have had an awful time with cocoa raw material prices, typically we get two annual price increases related to the crop harvests, availability etc. You probably have read this in the news. So we had  two approx. 40% each increases in June and then July and another 15% on the way this April. Add this to the the other things, energy, dairy product increase etc margins are slim. We had no option but to increase prices, there was no way around it, no surcharge options or choices, you want chocolate you have to pay for it. Straightforward price increases. Its a bit different as we make and sell chocolate so we can not offer our product with the option of no chocolate, but I think what I am trying to say the price is the price and what we have found is people understand the situation and accepting of the situations. You customer may have a different level of expectation in your country and may like the options or alternatives. Good luck with the egg prices hopefully you get some easing in prices soon. 🤞

[Donnie-M]

@doc_choc Cocoa prices hitting like that? Brutal. A world without affordable chocolate is almost as tragic as a world without eggs. 🍫🥚💸

[Tim1122]

Rising egg prices have definitely been a challenge! Your surcharge approach is a smart way to keep things transparent for customers while covering costs. Featuring a non-egg breakfast special is also a great move—diversifying options can help shift demand.

At PoliceNBIclearance , we face different cost challenges, but the principle is the same: adapting to market changes while keeping services accessible. In your case, maybe bundling high-margin sides with egg dishes could help offset costs without making the upcharge feel like a penalty?

[Donnie-M]

@Tim1122 I have taken the time to up my prices and reduce my surcharge, so that at the end of this, I have effectively done a price increase which I needed, but also, it is not so tough on my customers.  

[TheRealChipA]

@Donnie-M.  Before I explain my philosophy about price changes, in general, I want to state this.  I am not saying that anyone else’s approach to this is wrong.  I’m not saying that I’m the only and best arbiter on the subject.  So, if anyone gets offended, know that the offense is their problem and only theirs.  Ha.  Now….

My approach to price changes is based on what I want the businesses I patronize to do.  It’s pretty simple, really.

1. I want them to price their items fairly and in a way that makes them a reasonable profit.
2. I never want them to make me responsible for understanding their business pressures.  I don’t want to care about what this costs them, or what that costs them, or how much they pay in card processing fees or rent or anything else.  I want them to price their items so that all of that is taken into consideration.
3. I want them to be honest with me when prices have to go up.  Period.

All of that being said, here’s how I handle this — especially over the past few years of inflation, inflation that seems to be going on for a while now matter what political promises were made to win a recent election here in the states.

1. Understand that I print my menus whenever I need to.  That allows me to change prices when I need to.
2. I try to limit price increases to the beginning of my season.  The past two years, however, were exceptions.  I increased prices 3 times each year.
3. Every time I did this, I announced it on Facebook, Instagram, via email and text.  I even did a press release once which was widely picked up.
4. I did not use service charges/surcharges.  This is because I, personally, refuse to patronize any business that uses them for any reason except for “parties of x or more.”  Even then, I ask the server if they are getting that in addition to their tip.  If they say no, I usually walk out and don’t go any further.  If they say yes, I’ll probably add even more to that service charge as long as service is impeccable. (Not food quality, you’ll notice.  That’s not the server’s responsibility.  If that is an issue, I just won’t go back, but I’ll still reward the server.)
5. If anyone complains about the new prices, I remind them that I have a customer loyalty program that, in effect, gives all loyalty customers a 10% discount all the time.  That usually causes them to sign up and shut up, which is my ultimate goal.  The few that don’t I really don’t care about losing.
6. On those few occasions where price decreases are warranted, I just announce them as previously described.  The rest takes care of itself.

When it it time for price increases (or decreases), I download my Item Catalog CSV, make the changes, and re-upload it.  No service charges.  No surcharges.  Just my current fair price  What you see is what you get.  It’s what I expect as a customer.  It’s what I give as a business owner.

But, as I emphasized at the beginning of the post, that’s just me.  Take what works and leave the rest, as we 12-steppers say.  😏

[Donnie-M]

@TheRealChipA Love the transparency,  The “sign up and shut up” loyalty move? Brilliant. 😂

I’m with you—price it fairly, communicate it clearly, and let the customers decide. Hidden fees? Nope. Just tell me the cost and let’s do business.

That said, my egg surcharge is upfront—posted on my website, with a required modifier at checkout. Very transparent, maybe a little distasteful, but when eggs wiped out my margins overnight, it was the only way to keep things sustainable.

I have taken time to slowly up the price incorporating the surcharge into the regular pricing and reducing the surcharge as I go.  I will end up higher if it ends, but it will be back to just single pricing.  Sometimes though, you have to fire customers.

#HatOrBust

[jani43e1]

With GTA 6 Spot hype soaring, gamers joke about pulling off virtual heists just to afford real-life eggs! High egg prices got you down? Time to grind in GTA Online, stack that in-game cash, and pretend your virtual empire can cover breakfast. Maybe Rockstar should add an "Egg Heist" DLC! @TheRealChipA @Donnie-M 

[Donnie-M]

Forget diamonds and narcotics—eggs are the new black-market gold. 🥚💰 The real GTA 6 grind won’t be for heists—it’ll be smuggling farm-fresh, cage-free contraband across state lines while dodging FDA agents.

At this rate, cartels are probably already running covert egg-laying operations in the mountains. You want an omelet? That’ll be three stacks of unmarked bills or a favor you can’t refuse. 😏

Rockstar, time to drop "Egg Wars DLC"—supply chain battles, black-market negotiations, and a rival gang trying to steal your hens.

#EggCartel #BlackMarketBreakfast #Sweet16 #HatOrBust

[isabelle]

Great topic.

I was SHOCKED when I went grocery shopping yesterday..

[Donnie-M]

I know, right, @isabelle ? The egg prices are scrambling my budget!​

#HatOrBust