Denny's adds egg surcharge at some restaurants due to bird flu

• Avian influenza has affected at least 18.9 million birds in the last 30 days, according to USDA data.

State of play: Denny's would not say how many of its 1,500-plus restaurants are adding the "surcharge to every meal that includes eggs" and how much the fees are.

• "Our pricing decisions are being made market-by-market, and restaurant-by-restaurant due to the regional impacts of the egg shortage," Denny's said in a statement.
• "We understand our guests' desire for value, and we will continue to look for ways to provide options on our menu, including our $2 $4 $6 $8 value menu, while navigating these rapidly changing market dynamics responsibly," the company said.

The big picture: Restaurants are starting to crack under the weight of the nation's egg crisis.

• The Waffle House became the first national restaurant chain to add a temporary surcharge earlier this month. Its fee is 50 cents per egg.

• Smaller, more local chains and individual restaurants have also added surcharges for eggs, said Amanda Oren, a vice president at supply-chain platform RELEX Solutions.
• Many stores have instituted limits on how many eggs consumers can buy each day, including Trader Joe's, Costco and Sam's Club.

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