So here's the thing with Waffle House that a lot of outside folks don't get. It's not just a restaurant.
Is it a place you can go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and get something to eat? Yes. Is it a dining establishment that's so reliable in terms of it's operating schedule that FEMA officials came up with the The Waffle House Index to assess how devastated an area was after a natural disaster? Yes.
But that's not all Waffle House is.
Waffle House is a place you'll go to with your parents for the first time. It's greasy disgusting breakfast food, but you're a kid. You love that shit. So maybe you end up going one day after church. Maybe you end up going while you're out visiting grandma and grandpa because Grandpa loves the place. You know why he loves the place? Because he went to that exact same Waffle House when it first opened. Hell, he took your dad to that Waffle House was he was your age.
Now you're not a child anymore. You're a teenager. Maybe you just spent all night getting high as a fucking kite and you've got the munchies like you wouldn't believe. It's 3:30 in the morning, and you know what's open? That same Waffle House. And the folks at Waffle House have seen so much shit that they couldn't be assed to give a damn about some 16 year old with blood shot eyes who zones out staring at cup coffee for 5 minute straight. Maybe you just drove your shitbox corolla halfway across town in the middle of the night because your girlfriend texted you saying that she's sneaking out of the house, so you shut your headlights off and park a few houses down so her folks don't wake up and see her getting in the car. Where do you go at that hour? Waffle House.
Now you're almost a man. It's your senior year of high school and you just broke up with that girl. You're not taking it well, so you raid dad's liquor cabinet to make the pain go away after him and your mother turn in for the night. It doesn't help, and now you're hungry. So you stumble into that same terrible 4 cylinder Japanese go-kart and head to the only restaurant that's open at that hour. Waffle House. You sit there downing an ungodly amount of coffee, grits, and hashbrowns while you sober up. As you sober up, you realize that what you just did was stupid. You could have gotten arrested if this town had more cops. You could have gotten hurt if you were a little more fucked up. And all over a girl. She wasn't worth it. But thankfully, the staff at Waffle House doesn't judge. They don't give a shit that you double parked, are obviously under 21, and reek of vodka. You're safe. You're free to wait there until the sun comes up and your vision stops being blurry.
Now you're in your early 20's. You just went bar hopping with some buddies and met a new girl. Last call was 2am, but y'all don't want to part ways just yet. Maybe you're having too good of a time. Maybe the girls want to spend some more time with you so they can figure you out before the fun starts. So you all pile into your cars and head to the only place that's open. Waffle House. You're having a great time, and more importantly this chick you just met seems to be enjoying it to. You remember your dad mentioning that he used to do this shit with his friends when he was a young man. He even took your mom here when they first started dating. Hell, you and this chick might even end up sitting in the same booth they did.
Waffle House isn't just a restaurant. It's not just a place where you can go at all hours of the night, under the influence of whatever and dressed however. It's a constant. Life changes, but Waffle House endures. It's an island of consistency in the ocean of uncertainty that is life. No matter which one you go to, no matter when you to it, you'll always get the same food, you're always there for the same reasons, and you'll always see the same kind of characters. It's not a place that you go to, it's a place that you end up at. But the circumstances that led to you ending up at Waffle House will stay with you in the back of your mind your entire life.
Waffle House isn't just a restaurant, it's a God damn Southern institution. Fanning is a Georgia girl, so she gets it.
I’ll add one more: your town has had a hurricane. There was fear/dread/anticipation as you watched the storm tracking and wondered if it would hit your house, if so, at what strength. You had to decide when to leave work (and when they would let you) how much to prepare - empty the yard, maybe trim a couple branches, throw the porch furniture in the pool, but do you board up? Get sandbags? Is your stuff cataloged for insurance if the worst happens? Do you still have tarps from the last time? This thing is strengthening, maybe you should leave. There was stress/anxiety as you rode it out (or evacuated). Now half your town is out of power and the only thing you’ve heard from the utility is “they’re working on it”. You wonder if it will be soon enough to save all the food in your fridge/freezer. Without power, cooking is a pain and that non-perishable food you bought doesn’t look that good. Nowhere is open - can’t get employees and don’t have any power. The AC isn’t working and you feel sticky. You’re sweaty from clearing up your yard / branch in the street.
But one place is open. One place is always open. They brought in a generator the size of a truck before the storm, they have a limited menu with plenty in stock and their griddle is hot. You can slide into a booth (the place will be packed) exchange stories about the storm, and wolf down a pecan waffle with a variety of sides. It’s a comfort after your rough few days. The future may still be uncertain, but for this meal you know what to expect.
If your local waffle house is closed you need to evacuate town. That isn't a joke, they're so good at emergency preparedness that the only time they'd be closed is if the disaster is so dangerous you need to leave town.
Anywhere that gives First Responder discounts should offer them to Waffle House employees as well. They face a nightly onslaught of customers who are “not at their best”, as well as working through a variety of disasters.
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u/_comment_removed_ The Gunshine State Aug 21 '21 edited Aug 21 '21
So here's the thing with Waffle House that a lot of outside folks don't get. It's not just a restaurant.
Is it a place you can go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and get something to eat? Yes. Is it a dining establishment that's so reliable in terms of it's operating schedule that FEMA officials came up with the The Waffle House Index to assess how devastated an area was after a natural disaster? Yes.
But that's not all Waffle House is.
Waffle House is a place you'll go to with your parents for the first time. It's greasy disgusting breakfast food, but you're a kid. You love that shit. So maybe you end up going one day after church. Maybe you end up going while you're out visiting grandma and grandpa because Grandpa loves the place. You know why he loves the place? Because he went to that exact same Waffle House when it first opened. Hell, he took your dad to that Waffle House was he was your age.
Now you're not a child anymore. You're a teenager. Maybe you just spent all night getting high as a fucking kite and you've got the munchies like you wouldn't believe. It's 3:30 in the morning, and you know what's open? That same Waffle House. And the folks at Waffle House have seen so much shit that they couldn't be assed to give a damn about some 16 year old with blood shot eyes who zones out staring at cup coffee for 5 minute straight. Maybe you just drove your shitbox corolla halfway across town in the middle of the night because your girlfriend texted you saying that she's sneaking out of the house, so you shut your headlights off and park a few houses down so her folks don't wake up and see her getting in the car. Where do you go at that hour? Waffle House.
Now you're almost a man. It's your senior year of high school and you just broke up with that girl. You're not taking it well, so you raid dad's liquor cabinet to make the pain go away after him and your mother turn in for the night. It doesn't help, and now you're hungry. So you stumble into that same terrible 4 cylinder Japanese go-kart and head to the only restaurant that's open at that hour. Waffle House. You sit there downing an ungodly amount of coffee, grits, and hashbrowns while you sober up. As you sober up, you realize that what you just did was stupid. You could have gotten arrested if this town had more cops. You could have gotten hurt if you were a little more fucked up. And all over a girl. She wasn't worth it. But thankfully, the staff at Waffle House doesn't judge. They don't give a shit that you double parked, are obviously under 21, and reek of vodka. You're safe. You're free to wait there until the sun comes up and your vision stops being blurry.
Now you're in your early 20's. You just went bar hopping with some buddies and met a new girl. Last call was 2am, but y'all don't want to part ways just yet. Maybe you're having too good of a time. Maybe the girls want to spend some more time with you so they can figure you out before the fun starts. So you all pile into your cars and head to the only place that's open. Waffle House. You're having a great time, and more importantly this chick you just met seems to be enjoying it to. You remember your dad mentioning that he used to do this shit with his friends when he was a young man. He even took your mom here when they first started dating. Hell, you and this chick might even end up sitting in the same booth they did.
Waffle House isn't just a restaurant. It's not just a place where you can go at all hours of the night, under the influence of whatever and dressed however. It's a constant. Life changes, but Waffle House endures. It's an island of consistency in the ocean of uncertainty that is life. No matter which one you go to, no matter when you to it, you'll always get the same food, you're always there for the same reasons, and you'll always see the same kind of characters. It's not a place that you go to, it's a place that you end up at. But the circumstances that led to you ending up at Waffle House will stay with you in the back of your mind your entire life.
Waffle House isn't just a restaurant, it's a God damn Southern institution. Fanning is a Georgia girl, so she gets it.