At the time, Cracker Barrel, another iconic American breakfast chain, used Waffle House's surcharge to try to sway egg-hungry diners through its doors. "A surcharge on eggs?

Waffle House operates more than 1,900 restaurants throughout the U.S. The decision to implement the surcharge came as egg prices nationwide skyrocketed thanks to an ongoing bird flu epidemic.

A 50-cent per egg surcharge was implemented at Waffle House's roughly 2,100 locations across the U.S. in early February to offset higher-than-usual prices resulting from a "continuing egg shortage ...