APPLETON, Wis. — Angels Restaurant in Appleton is the kind of place where the staff knows many of the customers by name.
They know what they like to eat and they know how they like their change back — two $5 bills instead of a $10 bill.
Server Lisa Kunsman said she sees those regulars every day.
“It was a pretty steady morning,” she said Tuesday. “I had a couple groups. I had the Coast Guard group and my Tuesday morning ladies.”
The menu — and customer preference — is heavy on eggs, a product that has shot up in price in recent months.
“The most popular is probably the Angels skillet or eggs Benedict,” Kunsman said about popular items. “The skillet is potatoes, vegetables, eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, with the eggs on top.”
According to monthly figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of a dozen eggs was $4.25 in Dec. 2022. That’s up from $1.79 at the same time in 2021.
Angels’ manager, Beni Hajdini, said their costs are following a similar upward arc.
“Egg prices have basically tripled since last year and it’s really cutting into our profit margins,” he said. “Usually with the eggs that's where the bread and butter is and what you bay the bills with. It’s been really difficult the last six months.”
He said there’s really not much the restaurant can do about it.
“My customer base is mostly senior citizens, 60 and up, and we don’t want to price them out of being able to afford eating out,” Hajdini said. “We just have to bite the bullet on the costs now for the time being.”
Customers occasionally ask Kunsman about the cost of eggs. She said she’s hopeful the prices come down relatively soon.
“We definitely don’t want to raise prices. We want to stay consistent with the product and prices,” Kunsman said. “We have a good customer base and we want to keep them.”