The Overpriced Brunch Dish You Should Always Avoid Ordering (It's Cheaper At Home)

Brunch is a treat — a little luxury tucked into a week of takeout meals and rushed weekday breakfasts. From artfully plated avocado toasts to barista-crafted lattes with jaw-dropping price tags, it's a splurge we accept. But if you want to get the most value for your money, eggs are one of those overpriced dishes you should avoid ordering at a restaurant.

Today, many restaurants are scrambling to manage soaring egg costs and higher egg demand. The avian flu outbreak that began in 2022 is undoubtedly a culprit, causing wholesale egg prices in the United States to soar as high as $7 or more per dozen. Chains like Waffle House even started adding a temporary per-egg surcharge in February 2025 to offset the unprecedented egg price-hike. So when you order egg dishes at brunch, you're often paying for market volatility and just the convenience of someone stirring eggs around in a pan for you — not necessarily for culinary finesse. Restaurants know eggs are a crowd-pleaser, so bumping their prices by a couple of dollars barely makes diners flinch (in comparison to bumping up the price of an already expensive dish like crispy buttermilk chicken and waffles), but it adds up.

Instead of paying for overpriced eggs at brunch, think of it this way: If you do, you're paying for simplicity and convenience, not culinary innovation. So, when you want brunch to really count, it's better to save that splurge for labor-intensive or unique dishes you can't easily replicate.

Egg prices have seen a drop since March 2025. Yet on brunch menus, you're unlikely to see those fluctuations reflected; restaurants tend to keep pricing steady once customers are already paying more, and there's a buffer for if those eggs get expensive again soon. Doing brunch at home is simpler than you'd think, and, of course, more affordable. Making eggs at home is remarkably cheap in particular, even when you factor in premium ingredients. A hearty plate of scrambled eggs for two might cost you about $1.50 total using fresh herbs and quality cheese, when you consider that you can get an entire dozen eggs for about $5. Even a restaurant-style eggs Benedict, complete with Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce, can cost you nearly 10 times less for two servings if you simply make it yourself. Just use an easy recipe and a little elbow grease! 

If you are going to dine out, make it worth your while — there are so many great brunch dishes that aren't egg-focused. Look for menu items that feature local or hard-to-find ingredients, like smoked salmon from a regional fishery or artisanal cheeses. These dishes can showcase a good chef's skills and deliver a dining experience you can't easily get in your kitchen. Because let's be honest: Poached eggs aren't effortless, but you could make them at home (especially with some beginner-friendly tricks). Cheesecake-stuffed French toast with wild berry compote, however? Now that's worth letting someone else sweat over a hot stove while you sip your mimosa.