When Ricky Richardson was asked about the biggest challenges facing his growing breakfast brand, the Eggs Up Grill CEO used the term “egg-flation” to describe the significant increase in egg prices, which he said peaked at $110-plus per case in late 2024.
For a company that promotes eggs in its name and uses them across its menu, those prices became a troubling dilemma as Eggs Up Grill considered the cost of taking price.
“We called a special meeting with the franchise owners association on what to do and they decided against implementing a surcharge for egg dishes. And to their credit, they wanted instead to focus on managing costs through labor efficiencies and other controllable expenses and think more about the long-term implications than the short term,” Richardson said.
Ricky Richardson is the CEO of Eggs Up Grill.
That focus on the long term is evident in the brand’s three-year sales and unit growth rates. Systemwide sales increased 52.7 percent and the unit count went up 47.5 percent from 2022 to 2024.
Richardson credited his operators for the success and for raising guest satisfaction scores across the system from 4.3 to 4.7. One of the strategies Eggs Up Grill deployed to combat inflation was to double down on promotion of items such as waffles and pancakes.
It’s clearly worked and carried over to 2025. Year-to-date same-store sales were up 7.4 percent in October, said Richardson, and the company was on track to open 19 stores and surpass the coveted 100-unit mark at the end of the year.
“It’s a testament to our corporate staff and, of course, to our operators. The restaurant business is a tough business with lot of challenges thrown your way. It takes everyone to be aligned to get it right,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder.”