Egg prices are up, and according to the Reserve Bank of St. Louis, prices have more than doubled in just over a year. Reuters attributes the price jump largely to a deadly outbreak of the bird flu. Millions of egg-laying chickens were killed in 2022.
Business owners across central Alabama are seeing rising prices of essential items. Some noticed an 18-pack of eggs for ten dollars. They’re not letting inflation get in the way of serving up their sweet treats, but entrepreneurs are forced to make difficult decisions.
“We look at the price of our top tier supplier and others to see if we can possibly get a lower price that week,” Amy Jason, Cookie Fix owner, said. “We’ve also altered our package size. That has helped us a little bit.”
Jason is she uses an inventory manager to find the best prices for high-demand items like butter and eggs.
“You can hardly find buttermilk whipped cream is hard to find,” Crystal Peterson, Yo’ Mama’s co-owner, said. “It’s the whole dairy industry right now is really affecting anything that’s getting baked.”
Like many of her customers, Peterson does shopping herself — even at her restaurant — but that comes at a cost.
“People will respect the price going up because they understand cost is going up but they never say charge me more,” Peterson said.
These business owners said it’s affecting them just as much as it is shoppers at the grocery store. But they’re making sure their sweet eats are still made with unconditional love.
“Everybody’s pinching pennies,” Peterson said. “I still want you to be able to get a good meal from your mom.”
They’re refusing to put the rising costs on their customers. That means eating the cost.
“We really want people to be able to come in and get a cookie-baked cookie to brighten their day,” Jason said. “The sweet spot for the same price it was a few months ago.”
They believe no one should have to go without their favorite sweet treat.
“When chicken and waffles is your most sold dish, how do you take it off of your menu?” Peterson asked.
Both business owners said they’re trying to hold on to hope that food costs will level out. Experts expect prices to fall by the end of 2023.
