Hudson Valley eateries are fighting to stay afloat after egg prices sharply increased.
The staff at Fleetwood Pastry Shop in Mount Vernon said there’s no way around the dramatic price surge.
Around this time last year, they paid as little as $30 per case of eggs, which has 30 dozen eggs in it. Now, they're paying around $160 per case.
The increase amounts to thousands of extra dollars they spend each month on eggs. They have a similar situation with butter.
Staff members say they've had to increase prices across the board three times in the last year.
As a family business that has a close relationship with customers, it’s a difficult but necessary move.
"I don't like it sometimes when customers come in, and sometimes they're a little angry -- or they get a little shocked when they see a price increase. I just want them to be happy with what they get and with the prices that they get,” says Gabby Dileo, of Fleetwood Pastry Shop.
Recent USDA data shows an uptick in nationwide egg inventory and a decrease in wholesale prices.
An avian flu outbreak in February 2022 killed millions of egg-laying hens and wreaked havoc on the industry the whole year.
Wholesale prices recently went down a little and industry experts say they could come down much more in the coming months as farmers repopulate their flocks.