Posted on 08/15/2005 11:40:41 AM PDT by Rebelbase
The iconic black and yellow letters beckon from a sign near Interstate 40 and Randleman Road. Inside the low-slung restaurant that claims the sign, there's plenty of batter ready.
But it isn't destined for a fryer. This is Waffle House, and here, batter belongs on an iron -- a waffle iron.
Founded in 1955 in Avondale Estates, Ga., the restaurant chain has been serving "Good Food Fast" around-the-clock for five decades. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary Labor Day.
Freeway Foods of Greensboro opened the city's first Waffle House franchise in 1973 on Randleman Road.
The restaurant operated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year until it closed in fall 2004, Freeway Foods President Gary Fly said.
The old restaurant was torn down, and a new one opened on the same lot in March. A steady stream of customers filed into that location Sunday, filling booths as soon as servers wiped them clean.
"I come here every day," Sammy Davis Jeffers said from his seat at a yellow counter. "I came every day for 25 years, until they tore it down.
"And then I came to the parking lot," he said jokingly.
That sort of customer loyalty has made Waffle House what it is, said Betty Horne, a server who has worked with the chain on and off since 1990.
"Some, I know their names," she said. "Some, I just know their faces."
Since its founding, Waffle House has grown into an icon that sells 3.2 million pounds of grits annually and claims almost 1,500 stores in 25 states.
The chain now stretches as far west as Arizona and as far north as Illinois, but it remains rooted deeply in the South and retains a distinctively down-home, blue-collar aura.
"We come here every time we come to the South," said Jeanne Chester said, seated in a booth at the Randleman Road location.
The Philadelphia resident was eating with her friend Toya Murphy of Clinton, Md., and Murphy's sister, Patrice Murphy, a junior at N.C. A&T.
Maybe it's the simple menu anchored by eggs, grits and hash browns "smothered and covered" in cheese and onions. Perhaps it's the firm cash-only policy, or even the fact that the restaurant serves most meals for less than $5. Somehow the place feels like being at Grandma's house for breakfast -- before she started worrying about her cholesterol.
Nowhere is Waffle House's workingman vibe stronger than at its headquarters in Norcross, Ga., just outside Atlanta. A plaque in the lobby says the whole building is dedicated to the "Poor Old Cash Customer Who Made It All Possible."
The company is privately held and doesn't disclose sales figures. But for an idea how well the little diners are doing, consider this: Two percent of all eggs produced in the United States for food service end up on Waffle House plates.
. As for the future, co-founders Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner envision a lot more Waffle Houses where everything stays the same.
No plans exist to end the cash-only policy -- credit cards would be too slow, Rogers said -- or to change the menu. Except for salads and sandwich wraps, and more pictures for customers who don't speak English, the restaurants look about as they did in 1955.
"We serve the basic foods, and the basic foods never change," Rogers said.
OMG, the Waffle House in Phenix City. I used to know it well. bad memories, bad place in my life.
How did you endure the liberal crap at Chapel Hill?
Those were the days, eh? :-)
I grew up in the Midwest and now live in New Jersey, so I've never lived near any Waffle Houses. My husband grew up in Knoxville and has had more than enough of WH. The first time I visited the south with him, I was very intrigued by all these Waffle Houses. I had never heard of this chain and it was everywhere. I once counted the number of WH's visible from I-75 from the Ohio/Kentucky border to Knoxville - 22 of them! On another trip south we finally dined at WH, somewhere near Roanoke VA. I liked it. The food was well-priced and tasty, though I wouldn't eat it too often because of the fat and cholesterol. What I liked most was how Southern it felt. As we ate, I overheard a man at the counter complaining about John Kerry and how he would never vote for him "after what he said about my dad." Wish I could hear more conversations like that in the diners of NJ!
Mr sassbox does not find WH as exciting. He grew up around them and is tired of them. He also associates WH with the time his family had to drive from Knoxville to Venice FL on Christmas because his grandmother had just died. The only places open were WH on that miserable day. He likes to tell a joke sometimes: what has 8 legs, 8 breasts, and 8 teeth? Answer - the night shift at the Waffle House :-)
Yeah,
But can they cook cheese grits? ;)
We always enjoy stopping at the Waffle House in the middle of the night when we're driving South. When we go visit family in MS, we drive straight through from MA, and I'm the night driver, so I'm always looking for a place to stop, potty and get my next dose of caffeine. I love Waffle House's hash browns, hands down, the best I've ever had! They taste REAL good with a cup of coffee about 2am!
I attended the university in the late 70's/early 80's, and believe it or not, pretty much all of my professors and TA's, including those teaching history and political science, kept their personal political views to themselves. They were quite professional. I guess I was lucky not to have to endure any raving libbies, which is good, because I already couldn't stand Mr. Peanut Carter, and was an admirer of Ronald Reagan (or should I say, "Ronnie Raygun" - he was going to blow up the world, remember?).
:)
LOL!! There's just something about night driving in the South, isn't it Sam?
There's a Waffle House off every interstate exit in Georgia. I could always find a place to eat at any hour of the day or night there.
Its now Non Smoking (in Georgia)......OUCH!
A Canadian politician.
There's a little corner diner in downtown Decatur, Ala., that has the best biscuits and gravy. Unfortunately, they're not a franchise ...
Got me one of those too. Reformed Southern Baptist. Ehaw.
I was watching the Waffle House cook work his magic a few weeks ago, thinking how awesome he was. As a woman who is dangerous in the kitchen, I coveted his dexterity and talent.
That Greek Orthodox Church in Malbis is just beautiful!! At least it was 35 years ago when the all girls choir from my MS high school traveled to Pensacola for a weekend. We did a couple of singing stops at some schools in S. Alabama, and stopped in at the Church. We decided to sing a couple of songs there, and we were just astounded at how gorgeous the sound was!
"Works pretty good for me. Just the basics, what else do you need, truffles?"
Garlic. Lots of garlic.
The Waffle House - the only place I don't mind being called "Hon."
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