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elleng

(130,153 posts)
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:23 AM Aug 2017

Keep It Simple And Stay Open: The Waffle House Storm Menu

'The massive flooding in the Houston area has brought much of the city's commercial life to a halt. For those venturing out it can be hard to find a place to eat. The Houston Chronicle posted a list of bars and restaurants that are open in the aftermath of Harvey. It's not a big list. There are some cafes and diners serving up meals, but most of the locations are McDonald's or Waffle House restaurants.

Waffle House, the 24/7 comfort-food chain, is notable for keeping the doors open when hurricanes and natural disasters strike. The Federal Emergency Management Agency even measures the severity of a storm's damage by something called the Waffle House Index. When a Waffle House restaurant shuts down, it's really bad. "Waffle House stays on when the wind's blowing — they never close," Philip Strouse, FEMA's private sector liaison, told Yahoo Finance last year.'>>>

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/29/547079242/keep-it-simple-and-stay-open-the-waffle-house-storm-menu?

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Keep It Simple And Stay Open: The Waffle House Storm Menu (Original Post) elleng Aug 2017 OP
Love The Waffle House! longship Aug 2017 #1
I saw a program about it, on Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods, EDIT, elleng Aug 2017 #2
There is one here and their waffles are very good Warpy Aug 2017 #3
Thanks. I won't avoid it! elleng Aug 2017 #4
Probably not, it was pretty thick Warpy Aug 2017 #6
No real maple syrup, nor real butter. Mariana Aug 2017 #8
No, I doubt it's real. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2017 #21
Just went to one for first time...paid extra for real maple syrup cally Sep 2017 #25
Good choices! elleng Sep 2017 #26
Where are you at? Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2017 #23
I'm in southern MD, elleng Sep 2017 #28
Hmmm. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2017 #32
I do drive around, and actually lived north of Frederick for a couple. elleng Sep 2017 #33
What the heck -- consider what Harold and Kumar went through to go to White Castle! nt Buns_of_Fire Sep 2017 #40
The food is consitant and I also go for the show.. mitch96 Sep 2017 #30
The "awful waffle" is one of my late night favs... Docreed2003 Aug 2017 #5
Do the raight thang!!! elleng Aug 2017 #7
Love it! KT2000 Aug 2017 #9
The follow-up to that was pretty good too! progressoid Aug 2017 #11
That's awesome! Thanks! Docreed2003 Sep 2017 #39
That's what mr liberty and I call it, too ms liberty Aug 2017 #13
I don't hit the Waffle House much... Lord_at_War Sep 2017 #36
No freaking doubt! Docreed2003 Sep 2017 #37
no BUTTER. when we went. that is just a no for WI. pansypoo53219 Aug 2017 #10
Anthony Bourdain on the Waffle House A HERETIC I AM Aug 2017 #12
That's hilarious! Thanks for posting. n/t ms liberty Aug 2017 #15
THANKS! My mistake, I thought it was Zimmern I'd seen. elleng Aug 2017 #16
I always have fond memories of Waffle House FLPanhandle Aug 2017 #14
My only gripe about them was everything was always sticky. Chairs, silverware, tables, etc all FSogol Aug 2017 #17
In the catagory of "good" Southern culture and heritage, Waffle House has to be near the top. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2017 #22
"Southern Culture" is a bad thing to many people here. oneshooter Sep 2017 #35
That's their problem or ignorance FLPanhandle Sep 2017 #38
BEST HASH BROWNS IN THE UNIVERSE jpak Aug 2017 #18
Waffle House - The Essence of Simple Food MineralMan Aug 2017 #19
Waffle House and their beloved waffles are one of my personal most cravable foods ever. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2017 #20
Their hash browns are the best GulfCoast66 Sep 2017 #24
When I get them, I say "hash browns with onions, mushrooms, NCjack Sep 2017 #31
Their waitresses are the only ones who call me "baby" anymore BeyondGeography Sep 2017 #27
Love The Waffle House. gademocrat7 Sep 2017 #29
Waffle House and DragonCon - my husband's story from a few years back csziggy Sep 2017 #34

elleng

(130,153 posts)
2. I saw a program about it, on Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods, EDIT,
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:38 AM
Aug 2017

Last edited Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:44 PM - Edit history (1)

was Bourdain! See post below.

and thought it was 'interesting.' I've never been to one (I think.)

Warpy

(110,910 posts)
3. There is one here and their waffles are very good
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:41 AM
Aug 2017

I've been there more than once and I can't say that about many places.

Warpy

(110,910 posts)
6. Probably not, it was pretty thick
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:50 AM
Aug 2017

but the waffles were so good I didn't much care.

They didn't sit like a cinderblock in my stomach, either, which is unusual for waffles at breakfast joints.

Mariana

(14,849 posts)
8. No real maple syrup, nor real butter.
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 01:35 AM
Aug 2017

Margarine and flavored corn syrup is what you'll get. The waffles are very fluffy and light. They put quite a bit of sugar in the mix, so they taste sweet. Try one with pecans, if you like them. You can always bring your own real syrup.

cally

(21,589 posts)
25. Just went to one for first time...paid extra for real maple syrup
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 12:22 PM
Sep 2017

and waitress brought real butter without asking when I ordered maple syrup. Husband's 60th birthday choice.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
23. Where are you at?
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 11:00 AM
Sep 2017

If you're in the South there's more than you can shake a stick at, but there are some scattered out throughout other areas of the country.

I think the furthest west is Arizona.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
32. Hmmm.
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 02:03 PM
Sep 2017

Well, there's a few northeast of Baltimore and a few more around Frederick. And maybe a couple across the river in Virginia around Fredericksburg.

It might be silly to take a road trip for a Waffle House, but hey, I've done crazier things.

elleng

(130,153 posts)
33. I do drive around, and actually lived north of Frederick for a couple.
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 02:20 PM
Sep 2017

Will keep my eyes open, as I drive to NJ occasionally.

mitch96

(13,818 posts)
30. The food is consitant and I also go for the show..
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 12:36 PM
Sep 2017

The counter people go back and forth like you weren't there. Talking about fellow employees, boyfriends, arrests and their kids.. Great fun
I traveled around the US a lot and where ever I go, Waffle House food is always consistent..
Not "haute cuisine" put palatable for a good price..
m

Docreed2003

(16,817 posts)
5. The "awful waffle" is one of my late night favs...
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:49 AM
Aug 2017

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that my closest friends and I frequently hit the WaHo after a "guy's night"!

For more...I'll let Colbert and my favorite "modern country" singer Sturgill Simpson explain:


Docreed2003

(16,817 posts)
39. That's awesome! Thanks!
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 04:42 PM
Sep 2017

I love Sturgill Simpson and Colbert so having them together is like double the fun!

FLPanhandle

(7,107 posts)
14. I always have fond memories of Waffle House
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 07:00 AM
Aug 2017

Way back in college working as a bartender, there was a culture of late night workers stopping off at the local Waffle House to eat on the way home. Usually at around 3am there would be all us regulars. Bartenders, waitresses, strippers, bouncers, etc. all of the usual crowd.

Waffle House food isn't anything to get excited about, but there are communities of people that eat there in every southern town. It's like the old General Store where you go to hear gossip, stories, who needs help,... Waffle House is a part of southern culture.

FSogol

(45,357 posts)
17. My only gripe about them was everything was always sticky. Chairs, silverware, tables, etc all
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 12:54 PM
Aug 2017

needed some good cleaning with soap and hot water. I always assumed the staff was sticky too.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
22. In the catagory of "good" Southern culture and heritage, Waffle House has to be near the top.
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 10:54 AM
Sep 2017

I say if they remove statues of Confederate generals in town squares, they ought to replace them with a Waffle House.

No one will protest that.

FLPanhandle

(7,107 posts)
38. That's their problem or ignorance
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 04:42 PM
Sep 2017

There are plenty of negative things about stereotypical "Southern Culture", but there is also a lot of good/great things too.

Same thing with any culture.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
19. Waffle House - The Essence of Simple Food
Thu Aug 31, 2017, 01:03 PM
Aug 2017

I didn't grow up where Waffle Houses existed, and didn't discover them until much later. They're a phenomenon, any time of day or night. You walk in, someone yells "Morning!" at you, and you order whatever it is you want to eat. It gets delivered to you and you eat it, and then you go on your way.

It's not really all that good, but it's predictable and always available wherever you are in the South. Eggs. Sausage. Bacon. Ham. Hash Browns. Grits. Waffles. Toss in a Patty Melt or a thin-cut T-bone or a couple of thin-cut pork chops, and you have pretty much anything you need. All cooked on a flattop griddle with the flavors of everything melded into everything you order.

It's not really all that good, but it gets the job done, quickly and affordably.

You could eat there every day, and some people do. You can change things up with other options, of course, and even have a salad, a burger, a BLT, a tuna melt. Whatever. Well, maybe not vegetables so much, but those aren't really food in the Waffle House world.

Order whatever you want. Eat it, and then get out and do what you have to do, folks:

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
20. Waffle House and their beloved waffles are one of my personal most cravable foods ever.
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 10:43 AM
Sep 2017

I'll be sitting around and all of a sudden I have an immense hankering for a Waffle House waffle, covered in butter and syrup, and perhaps a side of grits, bacon and sausage.

Shit, I think I just gave myself a craving right now.

Seriously, stopping by Waffle Houses on family road trips (they've got one at nearly every interstate exit in the South) is an all time favorite memory of mine.

And their waffles are so, so good.

NCjack

(10,279 posts)
31. When I get them, I say "hash browns with onions, mushrooms,
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 12:43 PM
Sep 2017

and jalapeños -- scattered, scattered, scattered -- like a potato chip."

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
34. Waffle House and DragonCon - my husband's story from a few years back
Fri Sep 1, 2017, 03:37 PM
Sep 2017

He got to DragonCon, checked into his hotel, and wanted lunch. Rather than get his car out of the garage or try to look for a bus, he walked across the street to the nearest Waffle House. The line for take out orders was a block long and they had one of their workers taking orders and calling them into on a personal cell phone. When my husband got inside to pick up and pay for his order, he realized that there were managers working alongside the regular cooks and servers.

But then everything stopped as an older man strolled through, picked up a plate and proceeded into the back office. My husband asked who it was and was told "That's Joe. He's one of the owners." It was Joe Rogers, one of the two guys who had started the chain.

We eat at Waffle House restaurants often when we are traveling. My standard orders are BLTs, egg sandwich on wheat toast, or pecan waffles. My husband will get either an omelet or a hamburger but he doesn't like the lack of french fries. What I like is that the staff seems always to be in a good mood and friendly, the food is delivered fast and is good, and I can add a 50% tip and still pay less for better food than in many restaurants.

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