Creston restaurant puts all their eggs in one basket

Everyone’s feeling the impact of inflation this holiday season.

Even the basics like bread, milk and eggs are increasing in cost.

The USDA reports wholesale prices for cartoned shell eggs continue to move higher in the post-Thanksgiving demand period.

For a family, this cost could equate to an extra dollar here and there to balance into the budget.

But for recently opened Creston restaurant Beggin’ for an Eggin’, their supplier’s cost increase for eggs added nearly $1,000 to their monthly total.

The breakfast restaurant opened three months ago, and as their name would suggest, they use a large amount of eggs. In a month’s period, they go through 2,500 to 3,600 eggs.

“All of the sudden, 15 dozen eggs jumped from $36 a box to $80,” owner Bre Elliott said. “We were just starting out — we’re still just starting out. We don’t have money to throw out $80 for a box of eggs.”

Bre runs the customer-facing portions of the restaurant and the cold menu while her husband and co-owner Ryan mans the kitchen.

As luck would have it, the restaurant had caught the attention of Southwest Iowa Egg Co-op, a cooperative owned by 250 individuals, most of them farmers.

“One of our shareholders from Corning called and said he read in the Creston newspaper that a new place in Creston is going to be serving eggs,” General Manager Rich Hall said. “We do an egg route that goes down to Mount Ayr and up through Tingley twice a month to deliver eggs to restaurants in that area.”

On his delivery route one day, Hall decided to make a stop at Beggin’ for an Eggin’ to drop off 18 eggs and tell them about the co-op. “It was lunch time and they were very busy,” he said. “But Ryan called and said ‘hey tell me more,’ so that’s how it started.”

Bre said using the local company has already saved them money from even prior to the price increase with their previous supplier.

“It was a stroke of luck that he came in and said we’re selling eggs,” Bre said. “The site is so easy to order from, and they deliver them to us. That is the most convenient thing ever. They’re really nice people.”

Hall said supplying local restaurants is a win-win-win. “We win because we picked up a great customer — young, enthusiastic entrepreneurs. We think they won because when you don’t have a middle person, we can keep our costs lower than buying from a traditional egg supplier. And the community wins anytime there can be local food connections.”

Community feedback has been a help to the couple as they start out in their restaurant. “The community has great ideas and we like to use them when we can when it make sense. They’ve given us really great suggestions,” Bre said. “John Beck told us about Weaver Meats. We just started ordering there locally as well.”

A good portion of the restaurant’s sausage, chorizo and ham comes from the Afton meat locker.

For the Elliotts, going with someone local changed the game. “It helps us a lot, and I love to support them,” Bre said. “We’ve gained a lot from them.”

Hall said connecting with customers in the communities their shareholders reside is important to the cooperative. “Southwest Iowa Egg is interested in creating positive economic benefit in the communities we have shareholders in,” he said. “The whole idea of the local connections is just a such a win for communities.”