If you've bought eggs, recently, you may have noticed prices have gone way up — that is, if you find them.
Economists attribute the price spike to the bird flu, which has drastically reduced the egg supply.
Over the weekend, video went viral of shoppers at Costco in Chula Vista lining up to get eggs. It happened at other Costco locations, too.
Eggs are a staple for many local businesses like Super Cocina in City Heights, and when the egg market is hurting, their business and customers feel it.
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“May I have two plates of huevos rancheros,” Jesus Sandoval asked as he placed his order.
Sandoval eats at Super Cocina at least once a week.
“The huevos rancheros…That’s what brings me here,” he said.
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On Wednesday, he noticed a surcharge for eggs.
“It was like $1.25 increase or something,” Sandoval said.
The owner of Super Cocina, Juan Pablo Sanchez, said a number of its dishes are egg-based. On average, they go through about 1,000 eggs per week, he added. He's now paying more than four times as much for eggs as he did before the pandemic.
With egg prices rising skyrocketing, Sanchez is working to minimize the impact to his bottom line, which is why he’s adjusted the prices on breakfast dishes with eggs.
“People, I guess, go to the store and say, 'Hey, listen, the upsale for us is not that much compared to how much it would be when you go to a grocery store,' and they know what the difference in price is,” Sanchez said.
For his part, Sandoval said he doesn’t mind paying extra because he’s supporting a local business, but he also said he may consider other alternatives when shopping for groceries if egg prices keep climbing.
According to USDA data, last month a dozen of eggs ranged anywhere from $7-$9. Experts said they don’t expect egg prices to go down anytime soon.
