HUDSON, Ohio (WJW) – The price for a dozen eggs has more than doubled over the last few months, and shoppers are certainly feeling the pinch at local grocery stores. So too, are breakfast-focused restaurants.

Yours Truly is a popular stop for breakfast and brunch in the Cleveland area. Many of those items are egg-based dishes.

“We bring in quite a bit of eggs,” Founding Partner Art Shibley said. “We’re probably one of the biggest egg users, other than grocery stores in the Cleveland area.”

Shibley said wholesale costs have risen dramatically.

“We use extra-large eggs, and we’re not backing off from using those,” he said. “A few months ago, they were approximately two dollars a dozen and now they’re over four dollars a dozen.”

The Centers for Disease Control reports the H5N1 Bird Flu has impacted nearly 58 million birds, including commercial poultry in the U.S. Eight counties in Ohio have experienced outbreaks.

In response to a shortened supply, local grocers in Northeast Ohio have raised their prices to nearly five dollars per dozen for standard white shell large eggs. The cheapest we found was $3.29.

Giant Eagle, one of the biggest grocers in the region, provided the following statement in response to the rise in egg prices and challenges.

“Like food retailers across the country, our egg supply has been impacted by the recent rise in Avian Flu. We are working closely with our suppliers to secure enough product to meet the needs of our customers while managing fluctuating product costs. As the egg industry begins to adjust and recover, we expect supply to increase and prices to stabilize in the coming weeks and months.

Back at Yours Truly, Shibley said the price hike has caused the restaurant to modify pricing temporarily, but only to about $.20 cents per item. He’s more concerned about the long-term impact.

“To grow a chicken for eating a chicken breast, or whatever, only takes months,” he said. “But to grow a laying chicken takes years, so we’ll probably be in this mess for a little while.”

The USDA Egg Market overview shows the average price for a dozen white shell eggs in the Midwest is $4.62. That’s consistent with prices we saw at local grocers.