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Egg Prices Impact Famous Local Dish and Diner Egg Prices Impact Famous Local Dish

Mother's Cupboard's Frittata Sits at $14.95 — Will it Rise?

By Karl Winter

KARL WINTER: Six pounds of food for 15 dollars — that’s what Mother’s Cupboard offers in its whole frittata. Owner Amy Easton is reluctant to raise the price, but says she may not have a choice.

AMY EASTON: The egg prices are killing me, I’m gonna say. Like, if they don’t go down soon, I’m gonna have to raise ’em.

WINTER: The price of a dozen eggs was up 150% in January from a year ago, according to Bureau of Labor Data.

EASTON: You look at my menu — 95% of my stuff has eggs on it.

WINTER: The signature egg dish is the frittata, with its pile of pepperoni, sausage, broccoli, peppers and more. Easton says the frittata’s appearance on Man versus Food on the Travel Channel was the best moment of her 24-year journey at Mother’s.

EASTON: I had a daughter at 16. I was smart, but I had to drop out of school; I’ve been working my whole life. And it was just like, at the time, you’re worried what you’re gonna be — to me, it was like, ‘we made it.’

WINTER: The tiny diner has long lines on weekends, but relies on the everyday customers to keep the business sizzling.

EASTON: We have a lot of regulars — that’s what keeps us going.

WINTER: The joy of in-person service after the pandemic gave way to the struggles of inflation — and inflated egg prices.

EASTON: The prices are almost worse that the pandemic. When things go up, I can’t raise my prices 50%. I won’t have anybody in here.

WINTER: Now, things are looking up, with egg prices dropping 52% from their February peak according to research firm Urner Barry.

EASTON: Right now we’re holding our own, so we’ll see where it goes in the future.

WINTER: Reporting in East Syracuse, Karl Winter, NCC News.

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The heaping, six-pound “whole frittata” at Mother’s Cupboard Fish Fry includes four scrambled eggs.

Those eggs are racking up a sizable bill for consumers and businesses alike, due to a 2022 avian influenza outbreak.

“The egg prices are killing me, I’m gonna say,” Mother’s Cupboard co-owner Amy Easton said. “Like, if they don’t go down soon, I’m gonna have to raise ‘em.'”

Egg prices skyrocketed over 150% throughout 2022, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. For Easton’s restaurant, this means elevated operating costs.

“You look at my menu — 95% of my stuff has eggs on it,” Easton said.

One such menu item is the whole frittata, an Italian dish featuring a pile of eggs, pepperoni, peppers, potatoes, broccoli and more. The dish sells for $14.95 without cheese or $16.95 with cheese, and is advertised as six pounds of food.

The frittata appeared on the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” in 2010 . Easton said the business “blew up” as the frittata’s popularity grew, and that the national television spot was a defining moment in her time at the restaurant.

“I had a daughter at 16,” Easton said. “I was smart, but I had to drop out of school; I’ve been working my whole life. At the time, you’re worried what you’re gonna be — to me, it was like, ‘we made it.'”

Easton and Pete Greene have co-owned Mother’s for 24 years. The tiny diner in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood has changed very little in that span, despite challenges including COVID-19, hiring and now egg prices.

Egg prices declined 52% from their December peak to mid-February, according to research firm Urner Barry. Easton hopes the trend continues so she does not  have to raise the menu prices.

“Right now we’re holding our own, so we’ll see where it goes in the future,” Easton said. “I hope those chickens start laying more eggs, that’s what I’m hoping.”

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