Like a yellow taxi or the pizza rat, the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich has become a symbol of New York City. You can find a BEC in just about any bodega, or corner store, where it serves as a cheap, filling breakfast, quick lunch or hangover cure.
But with egg prices soaring across the country due to inflation and the worst avian influenza outbreak in history, delis are struggling to keep the price down. It’s been tough since 2022, when the bird flu began, with reports of farmers having to slaughter millions of birds a month. Francisco Marte, a bodega owner in the Bronx and president of the Bodega and Small Business Association, told NY1 that about 50% of delis had to raise prices on BECs to make a profit.
