PORTLAND, Ore. — A thief stole dozens of eggs from a popular Portland sandwich shop that heavily relies on them for business.
Fried Egg I'm in Love owner Jace Krause said someone stole eight or nine dozen eggs from the food cart near North Mississippi Avenue and North Skidmore Street.
Krause said he woke up on Jan. 19 to a photo an employee sent showing half a box of eggs were missing. That amounts to a loss of about $60 per case.
"Someone had broken into a case of eggs that was just dropped off not too long ago by our supplies. They don’t usually drop things off before we are there, but that’s what happened that day," Krause said.
The theft comes as prices for eggs have significantly increased due to a bird flu outbreak and inflation. Krause said he is paying double the price for eggs that he was paying a year ago.
"Everyone is struggling to try and just make ends meet and run a business. It’s already challenging enough to run a business. We don’t need that extra crap," Krause said.
The same week the theft happened, Krause said someone vandalized the Fried Egg I'm in Love sign outside the brick-and-mortar restaurant on Southeast Hawthorne Street and Southeast 35th Avenue.
Krause said he didn't call police to report the theft at the food cart because he knows they are busy dealing with more serious crimes. He added that the food cart pod has faced issues with petty crime.
"It's been a thing ever since we've been here. People come around at night, sometimes looking for cans. They might be also looking for easy things to steal," he said.
Krause said if the theft continues, he may have to raise prices, which is something he doesn't want to do.
"It makes me think twice about expanding more in Portland," he said.
Fried Egg I'm in Love has three different locations across Portland.