Friday Fodder for Foodies: The Awful Waffle

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Memories….hazy ones, at least.

Waffle House. When you absolutely, positively, without a doubt, are about to either puke, are trying to wash away the taste of puke, or are willing to eat something close to puke, it’s there. Depending on your opinion of the establishment.

Me? My teeth were cut on late nights in Athens, say, around 3 am in the morning, right by the exit to the Loop, downing my usual favorite late night meal:

Bacon, egg, and cheese sammich. Double order of hash browns, scattered, smothered, and covered. With a vanilla coke.

Now, in the days right after COVID, Waffle House became our family sanctuary. The girls and I had nothing else to do, so I’d take them to the school gym where I was a principal and we’d play in there, and we’d go out to eat at the one place in town that was open…Waffle House.

The kids would have their waffles, bacon, sausage, and cokes. I’d still stand by my standard, listed above. Waffle House is dear to me for that, from hazy memories in college to cherished memories in a horrible period of time. I’m indebted to a greasy spoon whose founding involves Tech people. That says a lot about the place.

Now, my other memory…the jukebox. They had one and we’d run a few Drivin’ and Cryin’, Allman Brothers songs, but would insist on playing Elvis’s American Trilogy. It’s why we still play it as the last song at a tailgate before going in to a game or listening to it right before the game starts. Those songs were special, and still persist 30 years later.

American Trilogy is no longer on the jukeboxes in Waffle House, but they do still have the music machine.

So, for today’s Foodie post…what’s your go-to Waffle House order…and if you liked to play a tune on the jukebox, what was or is it?

Discuss.

29 thoughts on “Friday Fodder for Foodies: The Awful Waffle”

  2. Texas bacon, egg & cheese sandwich platter, hash browns scattered & smothered, Co-cola. Gave up covered bout 20 years ago. Just a leetle too much artery clogging goodness.
    Or
    Pecan waffle, double order of crispy bacon, chocolate milk. Boys of all ages still like chocolate milk.

  4. My college order was bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich double plate scattered and covered, well, on 2 out like 1.

    Now a days I like those hash brown breakfast bowls they have. BEC for that too with a side of grits I dump in it. I get the eggs over easy instead of scrambled though.

  5. Ad news for folks wanting to boat over to a floating Waffe House on a Georgia Power lake: Georgia Power does not allow commercial activities on their lakes.

  6. Same as yours but put butter on the bread after toasting. Double hash browns scattered and smothered, extra well done.

  7. Texas sausage, egg & cheese sandwich with hash browns scattered and smothered with the eggs over medium … doesn’t get any better. Depending on the mood and time of day, coffee or Diet Coke.

  9. Back in college, before the first 24-hour or late-night coffee shop opened downtown, I used to go to Waffle House or IHOP and spend all night cramming for exams. Nothing prepares you for that 7:50am mid-term or final like 8 hours of gawd-awful coffee and greasy hash browns.

  10. Until they took it off the menu: Steak with eggs over light, hash browns scattered and smothered, wheat toast, black coffee.
    I’m calling bullshit on the floating restaurant. I’ve had some dealings with both Ga Power and the COE, this ain’t happening. Here on Lanier, however…
    I wonder how long it’d take for a wakesurf boat to send it for a ride?
    High Tide on (off?) St. John is kind of a cool place and the only true floating food place I’ve been, but once was plenty.
    I am a fan of waterfront bars, of any sort.

    • 100.

      I was going to comment the same thing. T Bone, eggs over easy, hash browns scattered, smothered, and covered with toast. I got a waffle on the side for dessert.

  11. Over a couple of quarters in college, I’d go on three to four late night (usually Five Points) WH visits a week to sop up the alcohol coursing through my veins. I gained about 40 pounds in five months.

    Anyway, I usually ordered the cheeseburger plate with a side of scattered, smothered and chunked hash browns. God, I was disgusting.

  12. 2-3x month (probably tonight after my grand daughs soccer game).
    3 eggs ov/easy, hash browns covered & peppered, bacon, WHITE toast & side of grits. Always sit at the bar.
    BEST WAFFLE HOUSE EVER — Biloxi, MS across the street from the Beau (before 8am).

  13. Love Waffle House. Cheesesteak with hashbrowns. Not real sure about the floating thing. Sometimes l would be queasy enough without the rocking and rolling.

  14. Original patty melt with a double order of hash browns scattered, smothered, covered , & chunked with coffee!

  15. Not a hash brown guy. I’d have waffles, scrambled eggs, and either sausage or bacon. Sometimes skip the waffle for grits. Five Points WH was our go to.

    Oh, and one of the founders went to Young Harris College, where I also attended before UGA, so I consider it a YHC establishment. I ignore the Tech affiliation, just like I do went I get an oil change at the Varsity.

  16. For 2+ years in the middle 80s, I ate breakfast at the Five Points Waffle House five days a week. It was always the same: a single scrambled extremely hard, grits, raisin toast, and coffee. As I recall, that was $1.05.

    I always sat at the counter. After a while when Doug, the cook, saw my car pull into the parking lot he would start my breakfast. Many, many a morning I would sit down at the counter having said nothing and Doug would turn around from the grill and set my plate in front of me.

    I still have a soft spot in my heart for Waffle House even though I very seldom go there anymore.

    OneofthepostersknownasMark

  17. Oh Waffle House! What a glorious spot it was, and remains to this day. I tend think of it as a homegrown Georgia treasure rather than a Tech spot. My original order on many foggy nights was a bowl of Bert’s chili and a BLT, or a double patty melt plate with hash browns well done. Both were right at 5 bucks back in the early 90s. Like many others, I too have raised my kids to love Waffle House. My youngest is in his 3rd year in Athens and his favorite hat is a Waffle House hat from Onward Reserve. Today the order is the All Star with eggs over easy, sausage, double hash browns well done, waffle, and dry white toast.

  18. The all-time Waffle House best: my friend’s 6yo stuffing a handful of quarters in the juke box and maxing out Justin Beiber tunes at the Madison, Ga WH and then satisfied with leaving after one song and torturing those left for 30 odd minutes. Chef’s Kiss!

    I never felt bad because after the ’05(?) Oklahoma St game, we went there and all the help walked because it was too busy. SAD

    Also, there was one in Tifton that did an All You Can Eat circa late 80’s. Back when I could do unlimited calories, it was a scene after all night shifts at Piggly Wiggly.

  19. A hometown friend and football star moved in with us after finishing his eligibility. Late nights his order would be a bowl of chili with two sunny side up served on top of the chili.

  22. Double order scattered, covered, chunked, smothered. Double tx melt- alternate between patty melt, chicken, cheesesteak melt. Yes onions. Black coffee. Jukebox- Billy Dee Cox ‘Special Lady’.

  23. Ham & cheese omelet, hash browns scattered smothered & covered. Wife’s is patty melt w/ hash browns scattered & covered. Been together 38 years, still go occasionally.

  24. I had an uncle that managed a WH here and there around the metro ATL area. Not exactly sure what locations. Anyway, he’d get those waitresses geeked up on speed and he’d have the cleanest WH you’ve ever seen!

    Also, he told me when they’d get busy and some guy would be taking up a table just sipping coffee, he’d fill the cup and say, “You’re paying by the cup after this one”. They would always leave then.

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