Many bakeries and restaurants are taking a hit as the price of eggs continues to increase.
According to the USDA, egg prices are expected to increase 20.3% in 2025 from the $4.15-a-dozen national average in December 2024. That's more than 60% higher than the December 2023 national average of $2.51 a dozen, but a slight decrease from the 2022 average of $4.25 a dozen.
The reason driving the high prices is the outbreak of a strain of avian influenza (HPAI).
Watch the full story:
According to the USDA, in December alone, the strain killed over 13.2 million commercial egg-laying hens across the country. That number is continuing to rise. The outbreak was first detected in chickens in 2022, and the winter months make spreading the disease easier due to wild bird migration.
Wheat Montana in Great Falls goes through an average of 450 dozen eggs per week, serving baked goods and breakfast dishes.
Manager Tyler Brown says, “I mean, everything around here is eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs. So it adds up fast, especially when it doubles that quickly.”
The business says the egg price increase has caused them to see a 16% decline in profits.
“It's been a huge effect on our business. We've just been combating it by checking our waste, trying to fight the waste of the eggs, even when people are cooking at home I'm sure you know, you drop an egg," Brown says. "To us, that's $0.50, $0.60 every egg that we drop. We're just kind of eating it right now, hoping it comes back around."
Watch related coverage: Montanans weigh in on avian flu, egg price and availability
Some franchises have already announced an increase in prices, like Waffle House, which recently added a temporary $0.50 egg surcharge to help offset costs. However, Wheat Montana says they don’t want to put that cost on their customers and won’t raise their prices.
“We know that the customers, you know, they're going to the store and they're paying double the prices that they're used to paying," Wheat Montana manager Kim Schmidt explains. "We don't want to raise that. We know what a hardship it is for them.”
Instead of increasing prices, the business is sticking through it, taking extra care to manage its waste and minimize in-house costs as much as possible.
