Some of Tucson’s popular breakfast restaurants are raising menu prices and lowering the number of eggs in their dishes to combat higher egg prices.

At downtown’s Raptor Canyon Cafe, 75 E. Pennington St., the popular biscuit breakfast sandwiches – spinach and cheese with bacon and egg between a house made biscuit – now comes eggless.

Co-owner Konni Calello said the change has been a hit with customers. 

Raptor Café also has added a $1 up charge on all egg entrees, Calello said. Diners also have the option to cut back on eggs to avoid the surcharge, she said, adding that the restaurant isn’t putting any limits on eggs. 

In a note posted on their front door, the restaurant explained its policy and also promised “new breakfast items that won’t break any eggs or your bank account.”

Callelo said the additional charge is temporary; once egg prices fall to $3 or $4 a dozen, the charge will be gone. 

Tucson restaurants have been struggling since early this year when the ongoing bird flu led to the deaths of tens of millions of egg-laying hens. The egg shortage has driven up prices to $6 a dozen at most stores.

After their cost for eggs doubled over the last year, the popular Tucson breakfast spot Baja Cafe at 2970 N. Campbell Ave. responded by limiting most dishes to one from their usual two. That’s change applies to dishes including the pulled pork rancheros, the Wyatt Earp, brisket tots and the King Kong, which is hash browns topped with ham, sausage, bacon, pulled pork, diced green chile, gouda cheese sauce, and egg.   

For the first time in two years, Baja Cafe also increased its prices, owner Kim Scanlan said. She had been  “hoping that prices would go down, and that is not the case.”

“ Not even close,” she said of the higher food costs. 

Scanlan, in an email interview, said that Baja goes through 900 dozen eggs a week between its two locations –  Campbell Avenue and 7002 E. Broadway – and is paying $115 a case for eggs. That’s double the $48 a case she paid last year. 

 Baja Café was getting eggs by the case from Costco until the warehouse started limiting the number people could buy, she said. 

When eggs return to $55 a case and all other commodities drop by 30%, she’ll lower menu prices, she said.

At Frank’s Restaurant, 3843 E. Pima St., diners are also paying $1 more for egg dishes.

 “The people get what they ordered, they just pay the dollar increase,” said Candace Salisbury, a server and manager at Frank’s. 

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism