Recent price hikes have caught some bakeries and restaurants in Chicago off guard as they struggle to source one of their essential ingredients: eggs.
That is what happened on Tuesday morning at Brown Sugar Bakery, when they ran low on their most essential ingredient.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
“I had to run to ALDI and found out they would only let me get two cartons, because there’s an egg shortage,” shared Liz Toussaint, Chief of Staff at Brown Sugar Bakery.
The popular South Side spot is already paying more for eggs.
The bakery can go through a case of eggs – which is 30 dozen – every couple of days.
So far, they have seen their expense nearly double from around $65 a case to closer to $100 a case.
And they are not alone.
The spread of avian flu, commonly known as bird flu, has been a significant factor in this crisis. This virus primarily affects aquatic fowl and wild birds and has already led to outbreaks on at least one Illinois farm.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a dozen large Grade A eggs was an average of $4.15 in the U.S. last month. That is a nearly 37% increase from a year before. It is also a much larger jump than the 2.5% increase in overall food prices.
Managers at Sip & Savor Coffeehouse said they have not been affected yet, because they have enough inventory for their five locations.
The stores have already been absorbing cost increases of other items without raising prices but may have to tweak their menu if eggs continue to skyrocket, making the situation harder for both bakeries and restaurants who are seeing across-the-board cost increases.
READ MORE | Waffle House is placing a surcharge on every egg it sells
“We have been internally eating those costs, but I am interested in seeing what’s going to happen, because we sell so many baked goods,” said Sip & Savor Coffeehouse Chief Strategy Officer Whitney Hampton.
Over at Decadent Chicago, a restaurant and dessert bar, Chef Charlotte Jackson is not putting all her eggs in one basket.
The 3-year-old South Loop eatery has hatched a plan to trim its egg-based menu and scale back some dessert offerings, just until prices calm down.
“Our sandwiches, our salads, our shrimp and grits. We have other items on the menu that are not egg based, but it’s kind of our meat and potatoes,” Jackson said.
Everyone hopes things will get better soon.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
