DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Many locals visit Everyone's East End Grill at the Decatur airport for the chance to watch planes take off and enjoy the all-day breakfast food. But owner Nic Morganthaler said the rising costs of all their ingredients, especially eggs, is hard to ignore. 

"Profit margins for restaurants are usually 33%, and four years ago, our eggs per case were $10.98," said Morganthaler. "I just got a text from my supplier today, and that same case of eggs is $111.00. I'm no mathematician, but that far exceeds your 33% profit margin and that's going for everything." 

Morganthaler says they've avoided raising prices for the last year, and it is the last thing he wants to do. Instead, he's doing whatever he can to cut costs, without cutting quality. 

One way he is doing this is by traveling from store to store to track down the cheapest products, including going all the way to Champaign for cheaper egg costs. Typically, restaurants like his would have that food brought in by a supplier to make things easier, but Morganthaler has found it's too expensive. 

"Every dollar you save is a dollar earned in this business, especially right now," said Morganthaler. "Everything is, just skyrocketing. And it wipes out your profit margin. And it makes it impossible for the little guys like us to stay open. And that's why you see all these small businesses closing. " 

As a small, family-run restaurant, Morganthaler wants to prioritize high quality food and generational traditions. But he still has to make sure he can pay his staff and bills. 

"We do actual real cooking here," said Morganthaler. "A lot of my recipes come from my grandfather. I learned how to cook from my grandma. That's what I do. That's how I do it. That's what makes us different than everybody else." 

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