If you have been grocery shopping lately, you may have noticed eggs are either more expensive, or aren't on the shelves at all.

Local breakfast chain Brails is feeling the impact as supplies shrink and prices skyrocket.

Owner Brian Sung usually orders 600 dozen eggs per week.

“The average cost before COVID was probably around $18-$20 a case, which is like 15 dozen,” said Sung.

Now, he says he's looking at anywhere from $50-$100 per case.

“The prices have fluctuated big-time,” he said.

One reason for the spike in prices is the recent outbreak of bird flu. More than 40 million egg-laying chickens were slaughtered over the past year to control the virus.

The average price for a dozen eggs this time last year was $1.92, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of December 2022, the average was $4.25.

On top of these prices, Sung is spending extra time per week just searching for the product.

“It’s definitely harder to get eggs,” said Sung. “We have to make phone calls here and there, and it’s definitely a hunt to get eggs.”

Being a business owner, Sung says he expects prices to go up yearly. “Since COVID, it’s just like, boom, (it) went up a lot higher than normal,” he said.

Sung said his restaurant has been in business for a long time, with a consistent customer base, so he has not changed prices yet.

“If the prices don’t go down, that’s something we’re going to have to really, really think about,” he said.