How Boston’s Dining Establishments Are Struggling to Keep Meals Affordable Amid Rising Egg Prices
Your breakfast omelet has just gotten more expensive. The rising cost of eggs has made it difficult for some Boston-area restaurants to keep meal costs down for their customers.
At Mike’s City Diner in the South End, popular dishes such as Mike’s Famous Pilgrim sandwich and eggs Benedict rely on eggs in the dishes. The rising cost of eggs has taken a bite into his diner’s profits. “I looked at our paperwork around two months ago and saw that the price of eggs doubled,” owner Jay Hajj told Boston.com.
According to a Boston Globe report, a dozen large eggs at Boston supermarkets cost $5.77 at the beginning of March. That’s up from $3.78 in September 2024. The largest contributing factor to the high cost of eggs is the continuing effects of the avian flu.
Although restaurants like Mike’s City Diner can order from food distributors, inventory remains a problem, with fewer eggs available across the United States.
While alternatives such as liquid eggs have become popular over the last few months, South Street Diner owner Sol Sidell said their flavor profile isn’t the same as whole eggs.
At Friendly Toast, egg prices have been fixed due to a locked contract. In an interview with Boston.com, Ben Kaplan, a member of the restaurant’s Boston management team, said the cost of eggs has not changed in close to five years.
Sidell at the South Street Diner has been trying to increase the restaurant’s vegan options and menu to highlight non-egg options such as Boston Cream and Churros Pancakes.
“It’s too early to see what works in terms of the menu design changes, but I know people are coming for the vegan options,” Sidell noted.
At Mike’s City Diner, Hajj said he is keeping prices the same, noting he won’t make any changes “until I see everything going up across the board by around 20%.”
