PITTSBURGH — Next time you sit down at your local diner, you may notice the menu prices have gone up. The costs of eggs are skyrocketing. Two local diners said they are now scrambling.
At Kelly O’s Diner in the Strip District, breakfast meals mostly include eggs. It’s how a lot of customers start their day, including Michael Guido. He comes here three to four times a month.
“I can get exactly what I want. It’s just a nice little meal,” Guido said.
The price of his meal and many others have increased because of rising egg costs as the bird flu spreads.
“I’m not surprised. I’m sure they don’t get a break more than anybody else does,” Guido said.
The owner of Kelly O’s said she buys around 8,500 eggs every week for her three locations. That’s around 50 cases, each holding 15 dozen eggs. Each egg costs around 60 cents. The diner used to pay under $40 per case. It has more than doubled to around $100 and it’s expected to go up.
It’s the same story over at Nadine’s in the Southside. Both diners said it’s frying their budget and they’re losing thousands of dollars a week. The Nadine’s owner said he has no choice but to raise prices.
“Starting this weekend, I’m going to charge a dollar more on an omelet and 50 cents for every additional egg just to cover my costs. It’s not that I’m going to make any more off it but now we have to lay it off to the customers which could affect us because that average person we cater to may not be able to spend that extra money,” said Matt Voelker, Nadine’s Owner.
Workers are also worried this could impact tips.
“It’s concerning when we have to raise the prices. People pay a certain amount to come out. That absolutely could impact how much they leave us at the end of the day,” said Melissa Baldwin, Nadine’s worker.
Some customers said they understand, and this will not stop them from dining out.
“I’ll always be coming back no matter what,” said Brooklyn Price, Kelly O’s customer.
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