At Frida’s, a daily shipment of 15 dozen eggs used to cost around $30. Then prices cracked wide open — and the same order set the restaurant back more than $100.
Rosario Barreto, the owner of the local breakfast and lunch spot, said the price became “unbearable.” Now, as the order costs her around $60 — down from its peak, but still double the original price — the daily purchase is straining her bottom line.
To combat this, Barreto placed a temporary surcharge on her dishes in March: 50 cents per egg or $1 per omelet.
“We (serve) breakfast and lunch. Almost all of our plates have eggs,” Barreto said. “We have to at least break even.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a dozen large Grade A eggs in January 2022 was $1.93. As of March 2025, that figure stood at $6.23. Amid a nationwide increase in egg prices due to a bird flu outbreak and economic uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, Barreto said her profits last year did not meet expectations.
Hoping to remedy the situation, Barreto began looking into different vendors, but found similarly high prices across the board. Her problem didn’t end with eggs: the restaurant owner said prices for produce and to-go containers rose as well.
Now, all of Frida’s menus display an added message: “Due to the nationwide rise in cost of eggs, we’ve added a temporary surcharge. Thank you for understanding.”
Frida’s is not alone. Egg Harbor Cafe and Le Peep are two other Evanston brunch spots that raised menu prices to keep up with the national increase in egg costs. Egg Harbor Cafe recently tacked a dollar onto every egg entree.
Paulette Cocozza, the general manager of Le Peep, said due to the increased charge for the restaurant to purchase eggs and produce, she also found herself raising prices “a quarter here, a quarter there” last month.
“We don’t want to put the burden on the customers,” Cocozza said. “Nobody wants to pay $15 for eggs. If we can keep it as low as we can just to get people in here, we absolutely will.”
Cocozza has been working at Le Peep for 30 years. She said analyzing menu prices and altering them every few years is normal for a restaurant, but this time around, it felt more urgent.
Le Peep’s new prices, Cocozza hopes, remain fair despite the necessary increases. Both Barreto and Cocozza said while nobody wants prices to increase, customers, for the most part, understand the restaurants’ need to make a profit.
“You’re going to take a hit sometimes, but that’s just part of the game,” Cocozza said. “You’re not always going to win.”
Weinberg senior Bryden Behrens enjoyed a Sunday brunch with friends at Frida’s after its price increase. He ordered a Benedict — a dish with eggs — despite the temporary surcharge.
He said he “completely understands” why Frida’s charged him extra. When he goes out to eat, Behrens said he expects to spend money, and that an extra dollar wouldn’t “make or break” his experience.
“I understand that local businesses are stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to keep costs low and keep an affordable breakfast while also breaking even,” Behrens said.
Barreto said she hopes Frida’s will be able to remove its surcharge soon, but doesn’t know when that will be possible. She noted that while customers also see the price increases when they go to the grocery store, she worries they will soon turn away from eating out altogether.
“I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot going too expensive,” Barreto said. “It’s a very delicate line: I either have customers or I don’t.”
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