McDonald’s is standing firm against rising food costs by refusing to impose an egg surcharge, even as other restaurant chains adjust pricing in response to soaring prices caused by supply shortages.
Why It Matters
Egg prices have surged nationwide due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has significantly reduced the number of egg-laying hens.
Stock image of the McDonald’s logo on the side of one its McCafe restaurants. Stock image of the McDonald’s logo on the side of one its McCafe restaurants. Matthias Balk/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
What To Know
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, retail egg prices are projected to increase by 41.1 percent in 2025, with a possible range between 15 percent and 74.9 percent due to continued market volatility.
Despite these increases, McDonald’s has pledged not to add a surcharge to menu items that include eggs, setting it apart from competitors such as Waffle House and Denny’s.
McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger emphasized the company’s commitment to breakfast affordability, saying, “At McDonald’s, breakfast isn’t just a meal; it’s a cherished tradition and cornerstone of our brand.”
The company also announced that it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Egg McMuffin by offering a $1 promotional deal on selected breakfast sandwiches.
McDonald’s Price Strategy Amid Rising Costs
McDonald’s chief impact officer for North America, Michael Gonda, made it clear that the company has no plans to charge extra for egg-based meals, writing on LinkedIn, “Unlike others making news recently, you definitely WON’T see McDonald’s USA issuing surcharges on eggs, which are 100-percent cage-free and sourced in the U.S.”.
The decision comes as the chain works to recover from its worst quarterly U.S. sales drop since the pandemic. The company remains optimistic about stronger financial performance in 2025, reporting a 6-percent stock increase year-to-date, which outpaced broader market indexes.
McDonald’s revenue fell slightly in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $6.38 billion, missing analyst expectations of $6.45 billion. Net income dropped 1 percent to $2.01 billion, with adjusted earnings per share of $2.83, slightly below the predicted $2.85 per share.
By maintaining stable egg prices and launching a $1 Egg McMuffin deal, McDonald’s is reinforcing its affordability message at a time when many customers are cutting back on eating out due to inflation pressures.
McDonald’s decision to forgo an egg surcharge comes as other restaurant chains struggle with the impact of the national shortage.
Waffle House has implemented a 50-cent surcharge per egg at its approximately 2,100 locations, citing supply chain disruptions.
Meanwhile, Denny’s has introduced a variable surcharge on egg-based meals, with price increases dependent on location and market conditions.
Industry-wide, the egg price spike is largely attributed to avian flu outbreaks, which have reduced egg-laying flocks, leading to higher costs.
In January 2025, egg prices were already an average of 53 percent higher compared to the same time in 2024.
What’s Next?
With competitors raising menu prices and adding surcharges, McDonald’s refusal to follow suit may give it a short-term advantage in attracting price-sensitive customers.
Whether other fast-food chains will adopt a similar approach remains to be seen, but for now, McDonald’s is doubling down on affordability.
Um die besten Erfahrungen zu bieten, verwenden wir Technologien wie Cookies, um Geräteinformationen zu speichern und/oder darauf zuzugreifen. Wenn Sie diesen Technologien zustimmen, können wir Daten wie das Surfverhalten oder eindeutige IDs auf dieser Website verarbeiten. Die Nichteinwilligung oder der Widerruf der Einwilligung kann bestimmte Merkmale und Funktionen beeinträchtigen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
