Eggs over $7 a dozen have become a routine sight at Salem grocery stores.
But for breakfast spots in Salem that go through over 200 dozen eggs each week, the increases are costing thousands and forcing owners to make difficult decisions.
Some are cutting costs elsewhere and looking for affordable vendors, while one has increased menu prices and expanded shifts for staff to make up for several employees who were laid off.
On a weekday afternoon in late January, every table at Word of Mouth Bistro was full and multiple parties were waiting to be seated. The popular restaurant, known for its benedicts and massive pancakes, goes through about 700 eggs daily, costing $2,000 each week.
“We are doing our best to avoid this, but on very thin margins, and the continuation of scarcity, it may be in the cards to increase prices,” Mychal Arredondo, one of Word of Mouth’s owners, said in an email.
To save money, Arredondo said the restaurant has recently tightened its budget by focusing on reducing mistakes to limit food and time waste. Despite efforts by staff to play their part, the price increase has “definitely been difficult,” he said in an email.
The Sassy Onion’s owner raised prices for some menu items with eggs on Friday. They’ll now cost 5 cents to $1 more to account for the increase in egg prices, owner Kevin Boyles said.
“Luckily, we only have two restaurants … we’re able to change prices quicker which allows us to keep up with the cost of goods going up,” he said.
Each of the Sassy Onion’s two locations goes through from 150 to 200 dozen eggs weekly, totaling around $3,000 to $4,000 every week. According to Boyles, a dozen cost $3 a year ago, meaning the new weekly cost is more than double what they used to pay.
“We try not to complain about the situation we’re in,” Boyles said. “Just trying to stay positive and we’ll get through it.”
One factor in egg prices specific to Oregon is a law that went into effect in January 2024 which required all eggs sold and bought in the state to be cage-free. The law drastically reduced egg supply for Oregon businesses, Boyles said.
The recent steep rise in egg prices has been attributed to bird flu outbreaks among livestock, including chickens. When an outbreak is detected, the whole flock is killed to limit the flu’s spread.
Boyles said that it will take until new flocks are raised to help reduce supply demand which will help lower prices. Hopefully, this could be within a year, he said.
Restaurants are also shopping around vendors to try to keep prices low.
ACME Cafe’s manager Tom Voegtle said the restaurant bought eggs from the U.S. Chef Food Store a year ago when prices were $23 for a case of 180 eggs. Now the company charges $145 for a case.
ACME Cafe currently gets its weekly 2,700 eggs and other dairy products from Spring Valley Dairy, where a case usually costs $60. Voegtle said the price abruptly changed to $88 a few days ago.
So far, none of their menu prices have been raised to account for high egg costs, Voegtle said.
Word of Mouth uses between 4,000-4,500 eggs every week, which is around 23 cases. According to Arredondo, the restaurant spends $85 for each case, but that price can be up to $100. Like Voegtle, Arredondo said he’s seen cases cost as high as $140 in the last two months.
While Word of Mouth’s owner is hopeful egg prices will return to reasonable levels, Boyles said he doesn’t expect to see $2 or $3 egg dozens any time soon.
After 30 years in the restaurant industry, Boyles said he, like many others, has often seen prices increase, but “very rarely see them go down.”
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
