Bird Flu impact: Plymouth diner to cancel Paczki Day due to egg prices

PLYMOUTH, Mich. (FOX 2) - All over the United States, people are seeing how the bird flu outbreak is impacting egg prices at grocery stores and restaurants. Meanwhile, the shortage is forcing a local family-owned diner to cancel its traditional Paczki Day celebration.

Local perspective:

At ‘Three Brothers’ in Plymouth, there’s hot food and warm conversation. The family-owned diner is an institution steeped in Polish tradition, including Paczki Day, with owner Chris Necovski saying the place would erupt in a frenzy.

"It was a madhouse. We would sell, on Fat Tuesday, roughly around 300 dozen," said Necovski. "We would take preorders. That day we’d open an hour earlier, and people would be at the door."

Unfortunately, because of the recent egg shortage, the joy of Paczki Day won’t fill these restaurant walls or customer's stomachs. 

On Monday, Three Brothers posted on Facebook that, due to a price hike and staffing shortage at their supplier, they won’t be selling paczkis this year.

Necovski says the price would be $40 to $60 a dozen if they did. He also says egg prices have jumped from $60 to $120 a crate since January.

Big picture view:

Nationwide, several restaurants adjusted to the egg shortage caused by the bird flu outbreak, with popular chains like Denny’s adding a surcharge to meals that include eggs.

In New Orleans, one bakery says it's now harder to turn a profit during King Cake season.

What they're saying:

Business expert Osman Kazan at Tulane University says the egg shortage is going to get worse before it gets better.

"We won’t be going back to very cheap dozens of eggs, as we have seen several years ago," said Kazan. "So this is going to stay here for a while, and the high will be the new normal."

What's next:

Three Brothers' owner is hopeful their Paczki Day tradition will return next year.

"We have regular customers that are in here 5-6 times a week. So we know who they are," said Necovski. "They know who we are. We have that relationship with them. To try to offer something that high, it just doesn’t make any sense."