Transparency on the Menu: Which Restaurants Delivered on Their Cage-Free Promises?

That’s the central question in the latest installment of the 2026 Eggsposé series—an investigative report by The Humane League (THL) that tracks corporate compliance and holds major food companies and restaurants accountable to their public, voluntary commitments to transition to 100% cage-free eggs.

The new Restaurant edition assesses roughly 100 full-service restaurants, fast-casual brands, quick-service restaurants (QSRs), and convenience stores. Its findings offer plenty of reasons for optimism. But they also expose a troubling divide, between companies that have followed through and those that have failed to deliver—or even to report their progress.

Cage-free commitments are achievable

The new report documents significant progress across the restaurant industry. Major brands—including McDonald’s, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Papa John’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, IHOP, and Outback Steakhouse/Bloomin’ Brands—have fulfilled their US cage-free commitments. Numerous smaller brands—including Peet’s, Taco John’s, Farmer Boys, Mendocino Farms, Rubio’s, Pret A Manger, Snooze AM Eatery, and Black Bear Diner—have also reached their goals.

That’s good news on its own. It also demonstrates that transitioning to 100% cage-free eggs is possible across restaurant supply chains of different sizes and complexities. Big corporations have done it. But so have smaller operators that lack the same purchasing power or resources.

The implication is clear: Restaurant companies can no longer credibly claim that cage-free sourcing is an unrealistic ambition. Their peers have shown that it’s doable. At this point, there’s only one question for businesses that have yet to follow through: Why not?

Trust is on the menu

The 2026 Eggsposé arrives at a pivotal moment for the restaurant industry. Competition is intensifying as everyone competes with everyone for the same customers. As diners reassess what constitutes value, companies need more than big portions or low prices to distinguish themselves.

Trust is becoming an increasingly important part of that equation. Diners want to know whether a restaurant’s practices reflect its public statements—especially about responsible sourcing and animal welfare.

Cage-free commitments offer a very visible test of corporate credibility. When a restaurant fulfills its pledge, it demonstrates that its stated values translate into action. When it misses its deadline—or stops sharing updates, or abandons a goal altogether—the disconnect between its messaging and its practices becomes harder to ignore.

That gap can carry real reputational consequences. The report points to Panera Bread as a cautionary example: a company that once positioned itself as a leader in responsible sourcing but has failed to ensure that all the eggs used in its products are 100% cage-free. Panera also removed that objective from its stated goals—without providing a new timeline or plan. As sales have fallen and backlash has ensued, the risks of abandoning promises that once helped distinguish a brand have become clear.

The heat is on

Despite the overall progress, some restaurant companies remain far behind. Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Dunkin’, Bojangles, Krystal, Honeygrow, Chopt, and Wawa are among the brands not reporting cage-free progress. And Cracker Barrel continues to report extremely slow progress.

For diners, that lack of transparency raises an obvious question: If a restaurant has publicly committed to cage-free sourcing, then why isn’t it reporting on its efforts to get there?

A commitment without a credible deadline offers little accountability. And without regular, public reporting, diners can’t assess whether a restaurant is making meaningful progress or allowing its promise to fade away.

The Eggsposé report demonstrates that communicating progress consistently and clearly is now the industry standard. A missed deadline requires both an explanation and a plan for corrective action—not silence.

Meanwhile, some restaurants that previously fell short are showing greater transparency. After an unfavorable assessment in the 2025 Eggsposé, 7-Eleven began reporting the percentage of its primary egg volume in the US and Canada that’s from cage-free sources. And its 7-Select house brand is now sourcing only cage-free eggs for the shell and hard-boiled eggs it sells in the US. That’s both measurable progress and a new standard for reporting among convenience stores—a sector where 7-Eleven has the power to influence expectations.

The central message in this edition of the Eggsposé is that transparency matters. Restaurants that publish meaningful data make themselves accountable, give diners useful information, and establish a benchmark for competitors.

The next chapter is about accountability

The restaurant industry’s cage-free transition is well underway. Restaurants of all sizes have demonstrated that the goal is achievable. Scale and feasibility are no longer questions.

With the 2025 deadlines behind them, restaurants that have yet to fulfill their commitments must explain what went wrong and how they intend to finish the transition. Those that have stopped reporting should resume doing so. And those that have achieved their goals should continue demonstrating that their sourcing practices match their public promises.

In a market where every diner and dollar counts, trust is too valuable to take for granted. Cage-free pledges are real commitments—promises that need to be kept, to diners and animals alike.

The restaurant brands that honor those commitments are helping define responsible sourcing for the years ahead. The ones that don’t have to reckon with a new reality—one where diners expect them to demonstrate integrity in order to earn their business.