PORTLAND (WGME)- It was a busy morning Sunday at Becky’s Diner in Portland.
“Most people come down here to get eggs, whatever way they like them cooked,” said Zack Rand, the general manager of Becky’s Diner. “They go into a lot of recipes and baked goods we bake down here.”
Rand says they’re paying a lot more for their eggs right now, and the cost has cut into their profit margin.
“Based on holidays, Easter, they always go up a little bit and that kind of came on in the last month. And yeah it’s doubled and sometimes tripled in what we pay,” said Rand.
Rand says they are used to the prices of eggs fluctuating every year, so they aren’t planning on changing menu prices just yet.
One reason for a spike in egg costs is the Bird Flu. It’s forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens, and it takes months to bring in new birds.
“Our menu is our menu. And we don’t make changes to the prices on our menus very often,” said Rand.
As menu prices remain the same at Becky’s Diner, that’s not the case at grocery stores.
According to the Hannaford website, the cheapest dozen eggs you can buy is around $4.19 right now in Maine.
The average price per dozen across the country hit $4.15 back in December, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts prices to go up another 20% this year.
If prices continue to rise, Rand says they may have to make changes at Becky’s Diner.
But for now, menus will remain the same.
“It’s a high value item here and we expect to sell a lot,” said Rand.