My neighbor just told me this. She and hubby had gone to a local diner for breakfast … and they had a 50 cents per egg surcharge on the menu! As in, instead of raising the price for the various offerings, they just added and additional buck fifty to the price if you ordered a three egg omelet!
I think it’s a clever way of getting around the problem when the prices are so volatile, no more reprinting your menus all the time, but I hope it doesn’t catch on.
I mean, menu says “2 eggs any way, sausage or bacon, hashbrowns, toast, juice, coffee: $3.99” but then there’s a dollar extra on the eggs, 85 extra for the sausages, maybe another buck to cover the increase on the OJ and the coffee…
At least with a surcharge you have a chance to get the price rolled back in a few months… If they change the price as a whole it Will stay baked-in for all future.
One of my favorite taco trucks here in Olympia announced a “temporary” surcharge for carne asada at the beginning of covid due to the beef shortage that was happening at the time.
From one who cannot eat eggs (and trust me, you do not want to see what happens if I try), I’m glad to see this.
Diner breakfasts need not be “two eggs any style, and …,” as so many diner menus proclaim. Such a breakfast can be good and filling without eggs. I’ve long advocated for “Ham, bacon, or sausage; home fries, toast, juice, and coffee, $5.99; add two eggs, any style, $2 extra.” But that doesn’t happen. Maybe it will now, and I can get a breakfast that will start my day without making me sick.
My dad was allergic to eggs, so I understand your frustration. The one time he and I went to Waffle House we spent five minutes scouring the menu to find something eggless. The only thing was the biscuits and gravy.
Do the places you go not serve waffles or French toast or anything other than eggs or do waffles/pancakes also make you sick or is it that you specifically want the “2 egg breakfast” without the eggs ? It’s possible to get the latter at chains like Denny’s or Perkins which usually have a “Build your own” option where you pick any four items out of a choice of maybe ten.
But I have to say, I often order items without cheese or avocado or whatever and I never have a problem getting it that way - I don’t get a discount for skipping whatever, but I don’t care.
As @Broomstick mentioned in another thread, responding to cost increases (or seeking to maximize profit) are certainly one reason for this kind of surcharge, but it’s also a way to decrease demand (while not harming overall profitability) when a commodity becomes scarce.
Two concepts that may interest people:
Price sensitivity testing:
A major advantage of retail ‘loyalty programs’ is that they allow price sensitivity testing to be conducted at the individual level. They can see your purchasing behavior and how it’s affected by price increases, decreases, coupons, and other promotions. They can then tailor pricing and marketing to you in a way that maximizes their profit:
Viewed through the long lens of commerce, this is a very new capability for companies to avail themselves of.
How is this so different than what the budget airlines do?
You want to fly somewhere? That’ll be 30¢, please.
Oh you want to bring anything on with you, like just a toothbrush? That’ll be an extra charge; even more if you don’t buy it in advance!
Oh you want to sit (& you’re not allowed to go SRO)? That’ll be an extra charge; even more if you don’t buy it in advance!
Oh you want a drink? That’ll be an extra charge; even more if you don’t buy it in advance!
Oh you want to use the lavatory? That’ll be an extra charge; even more if you don’t buy it in advance!
Oh you want to have air to breathe (yanno, required for living)? That’ll be an extra charge; even more if you don’t buy it in advance!
I don’t wanna be insulting, but y’all are rank Waffle House amateurs. Despite their name, their most famous and most delicious food is their hash browns, which you can order cut, chopped, smothered, high, choked, frilled, or punked (if I remember correctly).
I’m just fooling around, but the underlying truth is that their hashbrowns–greasy and salty–are a sublimely nasty treat and are a great breakfast option for someone whose only dietary concern is avoiding eggs.
