TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Consumers in Taiwan now have to fork out NT$85 (US$2.79) apiece for fried chicken cutlets by a well-known brand, as the company recently announced yet another price hike for its items.

To the dismay of many, Two Peck Crispy Chicken (2派克脆皮雞排) said in a Facebook post last week that prices for some of its products would be adjusted from Monday (April 17) to “ensure the quality of its food.” This included a NT$5 raise for its signature item, the chicken cutlet.

Netizens find it hard to accept the third price hike for the brand in a year. Prices for a chicken cutlet have increased from NT$70 last April to NT$85 this year.

Some say that the prices for the snack now rival those of bento box meals and that the days for a piece to cost NT$100 are not far away. Others, though, have expressed their understanding given the inflation woes.

Two Peck is known for its crispy and juicy chicken products. What started as a small shop in Taipei has thrived to become a chain store that counts 56 outlets across Taiwan, with the best-performing outlet easily raking in NT$1 million in sales a month, according to an introduction on its website.

Li Tsun-hsiang (李存祥), the founder of the company, told Business Today last May that rising commodity prices were pushing up the cost of its products and hikes were necessary to ensure profit. He hinted then that a unit could be priced at NT$95 eventually.

Taiwan is among the countries hit by bird flu outbreaks that have sent prices of eggs and poultry meat soaring.