An All to Rational Look at Waffle House

In the Southeast, late nights and early mornings for young adults typically end at Waffle House. This 24 hour sit-down restaurant has garnered a reputation for its quick, friendly service, good food, and late night visits as well as its location at every interstate exit. All too often it as overlooked as simply a way of life instead of a restaurant. As a long time customer, I decided to put this staple of the South on the hot seat and solidify it as a great place to eat, not just the natural progression of a Friday night. I wanted to experience Waffle House for once solely focused on the dining experience.

Of course, for this I had to do my history first. Founded in 1955 in Avondale Estates, GA, Waffle house has spread rapidly with over 1,500 stores located in 25 states. Within 9 miles of Georgia Tech, there are 16 Waffle House units. The store has been the source of musical inspiration--though these songs are scarcely known outside of the restaurant jukebox. Its two founders, Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner, created this mission statement: "Our mission is to deliver a unique experience to our customers through delivering great food, friendly, attentive service, excellent price and a welcoming presence." My intent with this review is to critique Waffle House on its adherence to this mission statement. Being well familiar with its service at popular times, I set out to catch Waffle House off guard one unsuspecting Monday afternoon.




The unit's bright yellow roof and sign served as a beacon for all travelers on the gloomy day of my visit. Walking through the entrance, I was first greeted by the sweet smell of waffles and breakfast and immediately thereafter the hostess. This woman had her hands full. The restaurant wasn't bustling, but she was waiting every table and still took the time to say hello and ask me how I was doing. As I sat down at the counter, I exchanged greetings with the only other employee, the chef. The entire restaurant laid within eye range, allowing for an open and unabated atmosphere, and the grill stood as the epicenter of the restaurant, an anticipation instigation as you watch your food's creation. So far Waffle House certainly lived up to its values of "friendly service" and "welcoming presence."

I ordered a double order of hash browns and a waffle. Plain, I know, but these simple items have become synonymous with the restaurant itself. As great as the anticipation spread through my body from watching my meal be prepared, the service was swift. In no sense was this too quick. The hash browns slid into my mouth and exploded with the buttery flavor I have loved since they first graced my mouth as a child. They take flavor off of the grill surface where all of the day's food has been cooked. Though buttery, it's important to add that these potatoes along with every other item on the menu are not made with a deep fryer. Is a greasy grill healthier? I'd like to say yes, but some stones are better left uncovered. After a minute of careful preparation with butter and syrup, I was ready to delve into the waffle. It had the light, fluffy texture and sweet flavor I was hoping to experience. This was a solid meal.

A mere few bites in, my meal was far from over. The greatest thing about Waffle House is the experience of eating there. There are always interesting characters eating with you. The most interesting are often found at odd hours of the night, but even on a gloomy Monday afternoon I was able to connect with another side of humanity. This is a key part of the Waffle House experience. My scanning eyes leapt across the room to tan old man walking o the jukebox. Each unit houses a real jukebox that plays unique discs. The music selection contains Waffle House themed music and popular music from the time of the franchises origination to the present day. I was dismayed to realize that I had forgotten my quarters to liven up the restaurant my kind of music, but the beauty of the jukebox is that you get to hear what other people want to listen to. If you can keep an open mind, this is great. This old man went up to the jukebox and played a country song that I had heard maybe once before. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I enjoyed it nonetheless as a reminder of the free will that we are lucky to have.

I studied the hostess intently to see if she treated everyone with the same seemingly genuine kindness I had been treated with. She held her act until she answered a routine phone order. The order went quite smoothly until the hostess had assumed the conversation was over proceeding to hang up the phone before she heard a question from her customer on it. She brought the phone back up to her ear and continued in the conversation audibly as the kind old lady I was led to believe she was, but her face showed a clear disgust of the person who had just dared to her ask another question over the phone. Needless to say I was intrigued and kept my attention focused on her. She was very kind when she initiated interaction with her customers, but when customers asked her a question before she had made her way over to check up on them she resorted to monotone responses and minimal eye contact. I had to concentrate to find this behavior, and her customers didn't seem to take offense, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of betrayal she had inflicted upon me, until she sold me my meal for less than five dollars. Waffle House is certainly a great deal for college students and any others on a budget, especially during this rough economic period.

I was forced to change my attention to the chef. Any Waffle House chef must hold a true aptitude for his position. They must retain many orders shouted out in his head for as long as it takes them to clear the grill and load them on (I have seen up to seven orders at a time). Cooking these meals so rapidly requires true finesse with the spatula. The ability to multitask is a must as they crack eggs and flip steaks while keeping an eye out for the waffle irons. My chef was everything his employer expected him to be. He whipped out meals with grace and speed, leaving each customer's stomach completely satisfied.

I grew up as a Waffle House regular on Saturdays with my dad, but as I entered my young adult life, my regular visits ceased to exist, replaced by late night visits with friends after sporting events. Waffle House, for me as well as many other people" became just something to do. This review helped me to see it as a restaurant again. This restaurant has held fairly true to its mission statement over 50 plus years of operation. Kind, quick service and good food in a warm environment at a cheap price is still the Waffle House way, and it will continue to bring back loyal customers at all hours of the day for a long time.

Waffle House
Five out of Five Stars