'It's Killing Me': This Ingredient Is Hurting CA Restaurant's Wallets

CALIFORNIA — The cost of eggs in California has both newcomers and veterans in the restaurant industry questioning how to absorb the high prices, according to SFGATE.

The benchmark for a carton of large-shell eggs in the Golden State was $8.97 as of Dec. 27, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which cited tight supplies due to persistent bird flu outbreaks as one of the reasons behind the sticker shock.

“It’s f—king killing me,” Cara Haltiwanger, who opened Los Angeles breakfast restaurant Calabama in November, told SFGATE. “I’m an egg restaurant, I have to buy eggs no matter what, you know?”

Hoyul Steven Choi, who has worked in the restaurant business for decades, shared a similar sentiment, according to SFGATE.

“Egg prices have always fluctuated, but this is crazy,” he told the publication.

Choi owns 20 restaurants in California, including brunch standouts Sweet Maple and Kitchen Story, according to SFGATE.

“Each year it gets worse,” he told the outlet in regard to the industry’s hardships. “All you can do is reduce service and raise prices, but there is no room to raise anymore. If we raise them, people won’t be able to afford it.”