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Let’s Eat: Learning how to appreciate the great Waffle House experience



A plateful of Waffle House pork chops and hash browns, smothered and covered (served with onions and cheese). CATHERINE MAYHEW

You think you know all about Waffle House and, if you’ve lived here a while, you might. But more than 13,000 people moved to Nashville last year from places that Waffle House doesn’t exist. They probably think the place is all about waffles. Let’s teach them a thing or two.

Mayhew

First off, some think about Waffle House as the place you show up trying to sober up. That’s true. But noted Nashville Chef Sean Brock, who is a giant fan of the restaurant, has a different take.

“What I’ve devised as a chef is a tasting menu experience,” Brock told noted travel host Anthony Bourdain awhile back. “You don’t come here expecting The French Laundry. You come here expecting something amazing.”

Brock’s menu starts with a pecan waffle slathered with margarine and syrup. He then moves to a patty melt and follows that with a green salad and Thousand Island dressing. Finally, either a pork chop or a steak. To those of you who are new to Nashville, you’re probably happily paying hundreds of dollars for one of Brock’s superlative dining experiences at The Continental or Audrey. Just realize when the chef is done for the night, he might be heading directly to the Waffle House.

For me, it’s also a pecan waffle. That’s followed by a Texas bacon cheesesteak and hash browns smothered, covered and peppered (served with onions, cheese and jalapenos).

There is what I’m calling a “secret” menu that you should know. Waffle House has slightly changed the menu, removing a few beloved items like the pork chops, steak, cheese ‘n eggs, the bacon-lovers BLT and the hash browns with sausage gravy. The uninitiated might never know they were there. The steaks and chops are ultra-thin and never cooked to perfection because you can’t. But they’re well-seasoned and just what you need to go along with the cheese ‘n eggs, exceptionally cheesy creamy scrambled eggs. They’re all still available. You just have to ask.

Old or new customers notice that after you order the server stands at a specific spot behind the counter and yells the order to the short-order cook. What a lot of people don’t know is how the cook gets the order exactly right every time without having a ticket to look at. There’s a “marking system,” using condiment packets, utensils and pieces of food to represent the order.

“It’s really a thing, and while it’s secret like the Coca-Cola recipe, we hide it in plain sight,” Njeri Boss, the public relations director at Waffle House told Nexstar.

For instance, a jelly packet at the bottom of the plate stands for scrambled eggs. The same packet at the top of the plate means sunny side up eggs. Two pickles at the bottom of a plate means a breakfast sandwich with bacon. A butter packet upside down stands for a pecan waffle. I hope you are now insanely impressed with the short-order cooks at Waffle House.

Waffle House is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s always there, always reliable and always delicious. But most people don’t know the federal government relies on the Waffle House during weather emergencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses the “Waffle House Index” to determine the severity of a hurricane or tropical storm. Green means the Waffle House is open and serving its full menu. Yellow means the restaurant is serving a limited menu and may be using an electrical generator. Red means it’s closed (time to get out of Dodge).

Finally, a lot of famous people show up at a Waffle House just because they want a good meal. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have made an appearance. Jake Owen heads to the Waffle House after awards ceremonies rather than attend the after party. Carrie Underwood’s Christmas morning tradition is to head to the restaurant. New people, please note that an unwritten rule in Nashville is that you never approach them in any way. That’s why they feel comfortable going.

Catherine Mayhew is a former restaurant critic for The Charlotte Observer, cookbook author and master BBQ judge. Follow her @thesouthinmymouth on Instagram to see what she’s eating and email her at food@mainstreetmediatn.com with suggestions on your favorite restaurants and food trucks.