American Eats: Georgia. Waffle House
American Eats: Georgia. Waffle House
Once, I accompanied two Ivy League-educated statistician nerds on a trip to the South to do data research. It was a small town and they asked me where we should eat. Well, there was really only one place to take them.
They….didn’t get it.
To say Waffle House is an American institution would be a gross understatement. The Jonas Brothers even did a song about it, for crying out loud.
Waffle House is open 24 hours a day, 7-days a week. You can get Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner during any one of those 24 hours. They do not close, for any reason. And because of that, there is an informal index associated with Waffle House for the severity of severe weather.
Basically, if they close the Waffle House before the storm hits…..RUN.
They are, of course, known for their waffles. I have never in my life gotten one. My go-to order is usually an omelet with chili, cheese, and ham. Sometimes, I’ll get the Patty Melt for lunch.
I selected Waffle House of Georgia because, along with Chick-fil-A, it is one the most ubiquitous food institutions to come out of Georgia. There are 434 Waffle Houses in Georgia, more than twice as many as in any other state. They are a Georgia institution and one of Georgia’s most important exports.
Ivy Leaguers aside, EVERYBODY eats at the Waffle House and enjoys it. When you walk into the counter, you will see a slice of Americana. Rich and poor. White Collar, blue collar, no collar. There may be a family of five eating during a road trip. There may be drunk people trying to get past their hangovers. There could be a preacher. Old friends from the War meeting up for the first time in years. A strung-out junkie who thinks he’s Jesus. You absolutely never know what you are going to get.
The only thing you can count on? Good food at a good price.
Let me leave you with the words of a fan of the Waffle House: the late Anthony Bourdain:
"It is indeed marvelous-- an irony-free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts; where everybody regardless of race, creed, color or degree of inebriation is welcomed."