Shell-shocked: Lincoln restaurant sees soaring egg prices ahead of Easter weekend brunch

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Easter weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for brunch.

But this spring, restaurants are under the “yolk” of rising egg prices.

From omelets to deviled eggs, plenty of menu items are costing eateries more to make.

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At Penelope’s Lil’ Cafe in Lincoln, the Easter weekend brunch menu is stacked, but so are the invoices for eggs.

“I think this is the highest egg prices have ever gotten,” said the kitchen manager, Jessica Runge.

Owner Brenda Failor said an order of 15 dozen once cost $99.99. Now it costs more than $130.

“In the beginning, it wasn’t so much of a hit,” she said. “They’ve jumped up to like 12, then 18, and then the next thing you know they were up to 48, then 58, then to 90, then they went up 120.” said Failor.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln-area bakeries feel the effect of skyrocketing egg prices

Despite the cost, Penelope’s is refusing to crack under pressure and plans on serving up tradition without breaking the bank.

That means getting creative, planning ahead and adjusting.

Failor said adding specials and keeping prices affordable are what matter the most to them.

“We’ve tried not letting the egg prices really affect our business because we’re trying to pass whatever kind of savings we can on to our customers,” Runge said.

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They said they’re ready for the brunch crowd this weekend, high prices or not.

“When we opened here, we wanted you to be able to come here and eat more than once a week,” Runge said. “We wanted to keep the prices affordable; we wanted to keep it family-friendly.”

Penelope’s Lil’ Cafe is closed on Easter Sunday because Failor wants people to spend time with their families, but it’s open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.