Ever had hunger pangs in the middle of the night and thought of heading out to grab something
without breaking your wallet? We’ve all been there and Waffle House, thanks to its
24 hour service, has served us well. Known for its reasonable prices and homestyle meals,
the southern diner has fed us with those scrumptious hash browns and a no frills atmosphere. So
let’s take a look at the top 10 untold truths of Waffle House.
“Friendly neighborhood…” Waffle House
Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner were the two guys who brainstormed the idea for the Waffle
House. The two joined hands to establish the first Waffle House in 1955 in the Atlanta
suburb of Avondale Estates. Interestingly, it was inaugurated on Labor Day weekend. Like
the familiar tale of many popular chains, it first started off with no intentions of
spreading beyond one restaurant. Of course things changed and there are now 2,100 locations
sprinkled across 25 states in the US. Sadly the founders passed away in early 2017, but
they left behind their creation, which has been consistent when it comes to service and
food on the menu.
In case you’re wondering why it was specifically coined Waffle House? Both the men considered
waffles as profitable and expected the guests to order it the most. There you go. Mystery
solved.
Liking this video so far? Hit that subscribe button and ring that bell to join our notification
squad.
“Code” of conduct at Waffle House
So you have made multiple trips to your nearest Waffle House and you have treated yourself
with everything that’s available on the menu countless times. You might know the chain
vernacular like the back of your hand and words like scattered, smothered, chunked and
covered are second nature as a result.
But did you know that the staff also communicate with each other with the help of diner items
like jam, ketchup or pickles. The way certain items are placed on the plate showcase different
characteristics. For example, if the jelly packet is positioned at the bottom of the
plate, it means scrambled eggs. A mustard packet facing upwards and downwards means
pork chops and country ham respectively. It can get even more intricate as the codes tell
you whether certain food items should be added or not.
Who says language is not arbitrary. Now we need Robert Langdon, the symbologist to crack
the code for those who haven’t yet visited a Waffle House.
The sounds of Waffle House
Besides serving waffles and other southern delights for 60 years and 24/7, the yellow
roofed restaurant decided to show its other creative side. While you must have been preoccupied
with your breakfast at Waffle House, the presence of a jukebox with all assortment of songs
plays in the background, almost invisible to most of the people. Some of the music that
pops up is actually the chain’s own music. Since the 1980s, Waffle House has its own
music label. Songs like “There Are Raisins In My Toast,” “Waffle House Steaks,”
and “Waffle House For You And Me” can be heard playing. Terrific product placement
if you think about it and it may sound like a marketing gimmick, but it works as Waffle
Records is still around since it was introduced and it’s not going away anytime soon.
Don’t be surprised when your favorite contemporary tunes change to the Waffle House songs. They
are treating you with a lasting dining and listening experience after all, and once you
enter the doors of the restaurant, you become a part of the “Waffle House Family.”
Old is gold at Waffle House
Ever thought of paying a visit to the first Waffle House on East College Avenue in Avondale
Estates? You are out of luck. It’s a museum since 2008 and the place showcases the history
of all things Waffle House. The building was shut down eventually after it was introduced
in 1955. Later on a Chinese restaurant and a Tire store took up a spot in its place.
Waffle House saw the significance and repurchased it, renovated it and converted it into a museum.
Now who would have thought that the chain would make a mark on history and open up a
museum, celebrating its past.
The place now stores Waffle House artifacts, consisting of dishwashers, old menus and uniforms,
to name a few. A free trip down memory lane makes it worth it.
Waffle House during corporate events also lets its employees give tours by appointment
and witness a lot of memorabilia. The only food that is available at the museum is inedible.
So if you’re craving to dine out at the place, things are not in your favor. Though
it's not the end of the road as there is one a few city blocks down the street from the
museum. Once you set foot in the gallery you will get exposed to plastic food on the
grill and the coffee in the cups and even salt would not make that taste better.
It's raining waffles at Waffle House
To the unwary mind, Waffle House might be thought as a name inspired by the surprise
surprise, waffle. But the founders thought of the item as a profitable venture rather
than an inspiration for the name of the food chain. Since the 60 years of serving the customers,
the waffles have been part of the menu thick and thin. An estimated 145 waffles per minute
is dished out for the people to devour. In 2015, one lucky customer was served the one
billionth apple crumb waffle, with balloons and a special plaque. The breakfast was on
the house for all the guests present to witness the historical event, including the winner.
That’s a lot of waffles right there. Records have not just been broken when it comes to
waffles alone. Eggs, grits and coffee too have joined the club. Since 1955 2.5 million
eggs, approximately 1 million cups of coffee and grit has been served. With that many eggs
ordered on the plate, all those protein aficionados would be proud. Bacon is just sitting idle
as well. The chain serves Smithfield Bacon all year round and if all of that was laid
out flat, it could easily wrap the equator. That’s 25,000 miles of bacon and that sounds
like the ultimate all you can eat bacon buffet one can only dream of.
Still not convinced of checking out Waffle House? Remember, celebrities like Dwayne "The
Rock" Johnson used to have his meals at one of the restaurants, before he rose to stardom.
He was literally 'living' at Waffle House. Demanding a dozen eggs and separating the
egg whites, the famous celebrity prepared his own meals at the place. Cracking the eggs
himself was his specialty and a combination with chicken breast made The Rock happy. Now
if that cool story isn't incentive enough to try it out, maybe splitting your own eggs
would coax you to pay a visit. Wonder what Dwayne Johnson would say about that, if it
ever became a trend.
In distress, Waffle House shall triumph
What does a Waffle House have in common with a risk and disaster management agency? The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), like all of us, knows Waffle House prides itself
for serving the customers 24/7. Which is why the agency uses the menu of the chain as an
index to determine the impact of disasters. The index is divided into three stages, with
green being the restaurant in full operation and menu. Yellow indicates a limited menu
and red is the smoke signal indicating the restaurant being forced to close. The former
head of Florida’s Department of Emergency Management deployed the test to observe how
a community would move about after a disaster, thus was invented the Waffle House Test. It's
not just a tool to show the aftermath of community progress. It also shows how quickly shops,
grocery stores or banks reopen and start generating revenue. The quicker the recovery period,
the better chances for the community in general. Because of the flexibility of the restaurants,
they adapt quickly as their limited menu fluctuates depending on availability of supplies and
what things are currently working in the kitchen.
Speaking of disasters, back in September 2018, one restaurant of the chain in Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina was expected to close prior to the category 2 storm Florence’s arrival
in portions of the east coast. Waffle House's storm center that was monitoring Florence
was also the same team that was observing Hurricane Michael. The chain is vigilante
when it comes to dire situations and has the food, staff and refrigerators ready near the
impacted areas. This shows that they are no slouch and remain headstrong in regards to
service efficiency no matter what.
Waffle House is Marred in Controversy
It's hard to be not in the public eye when you are popular and serving customers all
day long. Waffle House too became part of controversies and their southern hospitality
was questioned according to some of the visitors of the chain. In 2005, there were four lawsuits
filed against Waffle House by black consumers who were deprived of service, were victims
of racist remarks by the servers, and were given unsanitary food. This was not an isolated
incident as in Virginia as well the chain had to bear the brunt of allegations made
against them by African-American, Asian and Hispanic customers for rude service. In these
controversial situations Joe Rogers, the co-founder came out and said that the allegations are
not true and that they strive for equality when it comes to serving their customers.
The murky road for the chain didn’t just end there as Joseph Rogers Jr., former CEO
of Waffle House and the current chairman, was accused of sexual misconduct by his housekeeper.
The conflict is still unresolved and the chairman counter sued the defendant.
If that wasn’t enough, Waffle House has been the scene of several recent shootings.
Rapper Young Greatness was fatally shot outside a Waffle House in his hometown of New Orleans
on October 29th 2018, while a Nashville Waffle House was the scene of a mass shooting in
April of 2018 with 4 fatalities and others injured.
Hopefully the chain can get behind all the grim encounters it has been facing and continue
its legacy which it has been maintaining for 60 years. After all, we are dependent on them
when our refrigerators betray us in the middle of the night.
Romance is in the Waffle House air
Waffle House may look like a generic diner that fulfills your hunger needs at odd hours.
But that’s where you got it all wrong. During Valentine’s Day you might be reserving seats
at a fancy restaurant to celebrate love with your special someone. Then there will be some
who can’t afford to orchestrate such a plan. Don’t worry as Waffle House comes to the
rescue. For the past few years, the chain has been decorating its restaurants with white
table cloths, candles and heart decorations to celebrate the occasion. It breaks the Waffle
House protocols for a chance for customers to enjoy a candle-lit dinner for two. It may
seem like a last minute decision for some to go to the restaurant to celebrate, but
some locations like Atlanta’s Cheshire Bridge Road Waffle House do require reservations.
At first it may sound weird to spend Valentine's Day at a Waffle House and your date may not
relish the idea, but the decorations and the ambiance, once you walk in might surprise
you.
Life of a Waffle House employee
Working at Waffle House, one would think of getting an unlimited supply of waffles and
a hearty meal, no charge. But according to some people working at the chain, life is
not all sunshine and daisies. Their policies are something they are not a big fan of. The
employees mentioned that they were asked to sign an agreement according to which they
couldn’t join hands with each other and take legal action against the chain. Furthermore
some employees’ income got deducted of $4 for meals, whether they ate there or not and
tipped workers in some restaurants had to clean dishes and bathrooms, which are non-tipped.
The restaurant may take pride in remaining open 24/7, but some employees even said that
because of that nature, they had to bear the brunt of bad weather conditions. Also during
holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s, workers have to show up for
work, including executives as well. Recently there was a scuffle between employees at a
Memphis Waffle House over a washing dishes argument. Now that may sound like frustrated
workers working long hours, but no that just proves people hate doing dishes in general.
Anyways better start giving those fine print contracts a closer look before putting pen
to paper.
Waffle House goes on wheels
In case a Waffle House is out of your reach or you don’t feel like making breakfast
on your lazy Sundays, do not worry. The Waffle House truck can come to you with all the treats
you so desire. If on your wedding day you feel like having a late night snack in case
the food ran out, the catering service is there thanks to the truck. According to their
website, they can pull up and cook your desired menu choices for you and your guests and they
do mean it. It also includes long distance journeys, but if it's outside the confines
of Georgia, then there is a lodging fee that comes with the service. With a rental fee
of $90 and $50/hour depending on mileage from and to the event, you could get your waffle
dreams come true. Additionally, the per person cost hinges on the selection of food items
and the quantity. So if you go past all the cost formalities, it could be worth it and
you could let your guests witness what Waffle House has in store for them.
Also if you decided to give it a chance, you can’t just give them a last minute call
and get your breakfast in bed, that’s not possible. The chain believes in preparedness
and the food truck catering service depends on their catering calendar. They recommend
that you book your event as soon as you get the dates confirmed.
Before you arrange your own Waffle House event, click that subscribe button and ring that notification
bell. And while you’re here, stick around and click on another one of our great videos.