Olivia Kelleher, a news reporter for KUTV 2 News, said that Denny's is experiencing rising food costs, with record-high egg prices prompting major restaurant chains to implement surcharges. She made this statement on her social media platform on February 25.
"A surcharge on egg dishes," said Kelleher, Multimedia Journalist. "The price of coffee reached a record high in January. The USDA predicts the price of sugar to rise 6.4% in 2025."
According to CNN, Denny’s has introduced a temporary egg surcharge in response to a nationwide egg shortage, which has led to soaring prices across the restaurant industry. The company said that the surcharge will vary by location and market conditions without specifying exact amounts or affected locations.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the egg price index rose 15.2% in January 2025, marking the largest monthly increase since June 2015. This spike contributed to two-thirds of the total monthly rise in the food-at-home index. Over the past year, egg prices have increased by 53.0%, driven by supply chain disruptions and higher production costs, while the broader meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index increased by 6.1% during the same period.
Kelleher is a multimedia journalist at KUTV 2 News / KMYU who covers consumer trends and local politics. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from USC Annenberg and previously worked in digital marketing as a Vice President of Creative before transitioning into broadcast journalism, according to her LinkedIn profile.