Waffle House has defended its choice to introduce a controversial surcharge for diners, claiming it’s all for good reason.
The chain claims it’s been forced to increase prices as a result of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) - or bird flu – which has been causing widespread disruption in poultry and dairy farms across the US since March last year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been one death associated with the outbreak, while there have also been 67 confirmed human cases.
Mild symptoms include eye redness and irritation (conjunctivitis), mild fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue, while ‘less common’ symptoms also include diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.
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Those with moderate or severe symptoms may experience a high fever, shortness or breath or difficulty breathing, altered consciousness or seizures, and complications may also include pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, multi-organ failure (respiratory and kidney failure), sepsis or septic shock and inflammation of the brain (meningoencephalitis).
Thankfully, the CDC says most human cases have so far been ‘mild’, and that the majority were in people who had known exposure to sick or infected animals.
However, one of the most noticeable impacts of bird flu has been on the US food supply – notably, the price of eggs, which has skyrocketed in recent months.
Earlier this week, Waffle House confirmed it had increased its prices by introducing a 50-cent surcharge for every single egg ordered.
Its website states that eggs are its most popular item, serving 272 million each year, alongside 153 million hash browns and 124 million waffles.
Of course, any price hike tends to not land too well with the consumer, but Waffle House argued it had no choice to take the controversial step.
A statement to Tyla explained: "The continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (Bird Flu) has caused a dramatic increase in egg prices. Consumers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.
"Effective February 3, Waffle House has implemented a temporary .50 per egg surcharge to all menus."
The memo said that the change was intended to be ‘a temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices’ to counter the need to increase prices across the menu, although Waffle House did not specify when the egg surcharge might come to an end.
The chain added: "As long as they are available, quality, fresh-cracked, Grade A Large eggs will remain a key ingredient in many of our customers’ favorite meals.
"While we hope these price fluctuations will be short-lived we cannot predict how long this shortage will last.
"We are continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow."
LADbible Group has reached out to Waffle House for comment.