Local restaurants scramble to keep up with rising cost of eggs

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — As the price of eggs surges, local restaurants are cracking under the financial strain.

“Of course it’s a concern. We’ve been here 42 years and the cost of food in general and the payroll cost is so high right now,” said Audrea Arricale, the general manager of Alton’s in Cheektowaga.

A bird flu outbreak is driving up the cost of eggs across Western New York. Alton’s is one of the businesses feeling the effects of the outbreak. Arricale said six months ago an order of 30 dozen eggs cost under $50, and now it costs more than $200.

“That’s a huge difference,” she said. “You would think you worry about the price of lamb and chicken. No, we’re worried about the price of eggs, which is something that should be a main staple whether you’re getting it at the grocery store or having it at a restaurant. It should be something that’s affordable.”

Arricale said the restaurant works hard to make sure it doesn’t raise the prices in its menu, but she’s not sure how much longer that can last.

“We try to keep it affordable, and raising the prices continuously is not sustainable. There has to be a solution,” she said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer stopped by the restaurant Monday to call on his colleagues to help.

“One of the biggest issues facing the American people, and people here in Western New York, is the high price of food,” Schumer said during a news conference. “When eggs go through the roof, it hurts everybody. But we can do something about it and I’m here to lead the fight to make that happen.”

Schumer said that he wants the federal government to invest in biosecurity efforts to help farmers, which includes isolation, sanitation, and more personal protective equipment.

“I’ll be pushing for more federal resources in the upcoming budget bill to stop the bird flu, and the feds need to continue prioritizing biosecurity, get all hands on deck for containing bird flu,” Schumer said. “This will give farmers the resources to isolate, sanitize, and purchase the protective equipment they need.”

“The bottom line here is that we do not want farmers, the feds, or consumers at the grocery store to scramble with this threat of bird flu sustaining into 2025. We want to try and keep grocery prices in check, and that means keeping the new Congress and the new administration laser-focused on ending this latest bird flu outbreak.”

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Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.

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