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It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Eggs Up Grill has 90 restaurants in nine southern states, up from 26 in 2018. Florida-based Another Broken Egg Café celebrated its 100th restaurant last year. Fast-food chains are also adding more breakfast items. Starbucks, which launched egg bites in 2017, now has a breakfast menu with 12 separate items containing eggs. Wendys reintroduced breakfast in 2020 and offers 10 items with eggs. Reviews website Yelp said 6,421 breakfast and brunch businesses opened in the United States last year, 23% more than in 2019. In normal times, producers could meet the demand for all those eggs. But an ongoing bird flu outbreak, which so far has forced farms to slaughter nearly 159 million chickens, turkeys and other birds including nearly 47 million since the start of December is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. In January, the average price of eggs in the U.S. hit a record $4.95 per dozen. The percentage of eggs that go to U.S. restaurants versus other places, like grocery stores or food manufacturers, is not publicly available. U.S. Foods, a restaurant supplier, and Cal-Maine Foods, the largest U.S. producer of shell eggs, did not respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment. But demand from restaurants is almost certainly growing. Foot traffic at U.S. restaurants has grown the most since 2019 for morning meals, 2019, according to market research firm Circana. Pre-lunchtime hours accounted for 21% of total restaurant visits in 2024. Breakfast sandwiches are the most popular order during morning visits, Circana said, and 70% of the breakfast sandwiches on U.S. menus include eggs. Eggs Up Grill CEO Ricky Richardson said breakfast restaurants took off after the COVID pandemic because people longed for comfort and connection. As inflation made food more expensive, customers saw breakfast and lunch as more affordable options for eating out, he said. The growth in restaurant demand reverses a pattern that emerged during the pandemic, when consumers tried to stock up on eggs for home use but restaurants needed fewer of them because many of them had to close for a time, according to Brian Earnest, a lead economist for animal proteins at CoBank. Changing preferences since then have caused further market strain. Americans are increasingly looking for protein with few added ingredients, and eggs fit that bill. Consumers think eggs are really fresh, so if youre making something with eggs, you know its fresh, Earnest said. To address animal rights concerns, McDonalds and some other companies have switched to 100% cage-free eggs, which limits the sources they will buy from. Ten states, including California and Colorado, have passed laws restricting egg sales to products from cage-free environments. It makes the market much more complicated than it was 20 years ago, Earnest said. The higher prices are hitting restaurants hard. Wholesale egg prices hit a national average of $7.34 per dozen last week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was 51% higher than at the beginning of the year. Wholesale costs may be higher than retail prices since grocers use eggs as a loss leader to get customers in the door. Some chains, like Waffle House, have added a surcharge to help offset the cost of eggs. Others may turn to egg substitutes like tapioca starch for some recipes or cut egg dishes from the menu, said Phil Kafarakis, the president and CEO of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association. First Watch President and CEO Chris Tomasso said eggs are critical for the chain’s brand and are found in the majority of its offerings, whether at the center of the plate or as an ingredient in batters. So far, he said, the company has been able to obtain the eggs it needs and isn’t charging extra for them. First Watch is also increasing portion sizes for non-egg items like meat and potatoes, Tomasso said. Richardson, of Eggs Up Grill, said he recently met with franchisees to discuss adding a surcharge but they decided against it. Eggs have always been and will continue to be an important part of American diets, Richardson said. Dee-Ann Durbin, AP business writer
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Road congestion is a persistent thorn in the side of our car-centric society. Its loud, stressful, dangerous, and worsens air quality. Its been linked to all kinds of adverse health effects, including lower birth weights, memory and attention problems in school kids, higher mortality in elderly adults, and even crime. But traffic might also affect our eating habitsand not in a good way. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, published in the Journal of Urban Economics, examined weekday traffic data from Los Angeles County highways between 2017 and 2019 and compared it with cellphone GPS data tracking customer visits to fast food restaurants in the same county during the same years. They found that when traffic was worse due to unexpected slowdowns, visits to fast food restaurants went up. This effect was especially strong if the traffic delays occurred around evening mealtimes, when drivers were leaving work and probably starting to feel some predinner hunger pangs. The results showed that for every 30-second increase in traffic delay per mile traveled, there was a 1% increase in visits to fast food restaurants. While that may not seem like a lot, the researchers estimate that over a year, it amounts to about 1.2 million more fast food meals in Los Angeles. Weve been saying that our results are modest but meaningful, says Becca Taylor, assistant professor in the universitys Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, and coauthor on the study. Indeed, this relationship has implications for health and wellness. Fast food tends to be high in ultra-processed ingredients, saturated or trans fats, sugar, and sodium, all of which can increase ones risk of developing a number of diseases and ailments, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even depression. Some researchers go so far as to say processed foods and fast foods are responsible for more premature deaths than cigarettes. Meals prepared at home are by far the healthier option. People who eat home-cooked meals more often have a better mix of fruits and vegetables in their diets, and are exposed to fewer harmful chemicals, including so-called forever chemicals. We also are more likely to overeat at restaurants than we would at home. So its troubling that gridlock may be nudging hungry people toward McDonalds for dinner when they might have otherwise eaten a more balanced meal at home. Los Angeles is a city infamous for its snarled highways, but the authors say these findings can be applied elsewhere. There are other cities in the U.S. that are equally congested and have these big swings in traffic congestion, Taylor says, listing off New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. She hopes the research can help make the case for prioritizing traffic solutions, like better public transportation or congestion charges, such as the one recently introduced in New York. We see this as another thing policymakers could have in their arsenal for why its important for them to spend political capital working on congestion, Taylor says. While this study might seem on the surface to be just about traffic, look a bit deeper and youll realize its really about time, or lack of it. We have a limited number of waking hours during which we can get things done, and most of them are consumed by work. Ideally we can spend what little time we have leftover doing things we find nourishing and fulfilling like, say, sitting down for a meal with our family. But we dont have a lot of wiggle room, and any delay, including an unexpected traffic slowdown, can force us to make an unhealthy trade-off. This is all quite troubling when you consider that the American workday is getting longer, traffic in the U.S. is getting worse, and fast food restaurants keep multiplying. Its a bad combination. While infrastructure improvements are important, maybe it would be easier to just give Americans more free time. Taylor and her colleagues say allowing people to work from home, or reducing the number of days theyre required to be in the office, might be able to help here. Time scarcity is one of the strongest correlates of fast food consumption, the authors write. Policies aimed at loosening time constraints would help battle unhealthy eating habits.
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After a rough start to 2025 due to the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, awards season in Hollywood is officially back in the swing of things. The fires, which broke out right after the Golden Globes, even caused some to question awards shows relevance in this time of crisis. Despite several delays, however, the Critics Choice Awards was held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on February 7. The following day, the Producers Guild of America Awards (PGA) was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA) was presented at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The results from these three prestigious awards shows could give you an edge in your office Oscars bets as many of the same people involved are also voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Let’s recap what happened and what it could mean for the Academy Awards. The Critics Choice Awards The fires were acknowledged at every event. Critics Choice Awards host, comedian Chelsea Handler, opened the show by saying, Weve been through a lot lately before cracking a Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively joke to lighten the mood. It set the tone for a self-aware celebration. Voters made up of entertainment journalists and critics spread the love among many films this year. Conclave took home Best Acting Ensemble, which does not have an Oscars equivalent but shows support for the film in general. Kieran Culkin was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his work in A Real Pain while Zoe Saldaa won Best Supporting Actress for her work in Emilia Pérez, making them both front-runners for an Oscar. Riding their Golden Globe momentum, Demi Moore took home the honors for Best Actress for the horror film The Substance and Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his work in The Brutalist. And while he might not have been nominated for an Oscar or a DGA Award, that didnt stop Jon M. Chu from winning Best Director for his work on Wicked: Part Oneor for saying in his acceptance speech, Im going to win that Oscar! before quietly acknowledging, Im not nominated. For the first time ever, Best Picture went to a film that won no other awards: Sean Bakers Anora. It would turn out to be a big weekend for this indie film. The DGA Awards Judd Apatow served as host and brought the funny, but DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter opened the event by expressing gratitude to first responders and urged production companies to bring filming back to the United States so the city could continue to heal. The Oscars link is strong, with only two films in history ever winning Best Picture without first being recognized here. Anora continued its winning streak, taking home top honors for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film. It is also important to note that RaMell Ross took home the Michael Apted First Time Directorial Feature Award for his work on Nickel Boys, which is also up for a Best Picture Oscar. The PGA Awards According to the Hollywood Reporter, PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Linehe started the evening by sharing that the organization started a fire fund to support those who were impacted by the disaster. It had already raised $450,000 and attendees were encouraged to keep donating throughout the evening. Like its name suggests, the Producers Guild of America celebrates, well, producersnot individual performers or designers or specialized creators. Membership is about the same size as the Academy, and both organizations utilize a weighted preferential ballot. The big Oscars award precursor here is the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. The 10 nominees are almost identical to the Academys choices. In the past 15 years, 12 Best Picture winners first took home this prize, including last years champion, Oppenheimer. Just hours after it took home the DGA honors, PGA presenter Jodie Foster announced that Anora would also be the winner here. Where does this leave us in the Oscars race? After this weekend, Anora is the new Best Picture front-runner. The dramedy dethroned Emilia Pérez, which was already losing ground after several controversies, including actress Karla Sofía Gascóns offensive tweets. This musical was once on top with 13 nominations, the highest number this year. Wicked, the other musical in the running, saw a glimmer of hope this weekend with its wins and glowing reception at the Critics Choice Awards, but it might not get Oscars glory until part 2 is released late this year. Anora could not have peaked at a better time. Final Oscars voting begins on February 11 and goes until the 18th; so the movie, the acceptance speeches, and buzz will be top of mind for Academy members. A possible weakness in this film’s ascent to the top is its lack of below-the-line support. Beyond producers, directors, and critics, the Academy is also made up of cinematographers, editors, and other designers who will also need to champion the project, and its lack of nominations in those categories could be telling. Other precursor awards to keep an eye on are the BAFTA Awards, essentially the British Oscars, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The BAFTAs take place on February 16 in London, and the SAG Awards are set for February 23 in L.A. If Anora takes home the top prize in either of those ceremonies, it will almost certainly cement its future Oscars win.
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