Are You A Waffle House "Regular"?

Did you know Waffle House has a "Regulars" Club?
It's free to join and you get deals and coupons and stuff. I just got a coupon for a Free Waffle.
Just printed one for me and my Bride. A perfect Date Night!
Here's how to do it:
http://wafflehouse.com/your-house/join-regulars-club

I didn't know that and I appreciate the tip!

I love going to Waffle House whenever I travel, for whatever reason I never go there at home.  I'm signing up!

Same for us...if we see one when we travel, we stop...none around us!!! We love the one near Lancaster,PA on route 30.

absolutely not...and this should be in the FFF Thread that includes franchised chains.

Rusty246

I love going to Waffle House whenever I travel, for whatever reason I never go there at home.  I'm signing up!

Had lunch there today and they had a Table Topper that said you can text them while you're traveling and they will text back the nearest locations. Also they have a "Plan a Trip' feature on their web site. Similar to Mapquest. Before you leave home, plug-in your route. They'll pinpoint all the WH locations along your route! COOL!
http://wafflehouse.com/component/content/article/10/165-waffle-house-restaurant-locator

I ate at one in KC last Sunday night for the first time and it wasn't bad. + I fell in love with the waitress

Wish they'd open in the Los Angeles area.  I am a fan.

mar52

Wish they'd open in the Los Angeles area.  I am a fan.

Looks like the closest one to you is on the West Side of Phoenix!
ROADTRIP!!

Ha!  I just got home.  5480 miles.
 
However...

Scorereader


absolutely not...and this should be in the FFF Thread that includes franchised chains.

I'm with you Scorereader.  The only difference I see between Waffle House and Denny's, Cracker Barrel, Applebee's, Perkin's, etc., is that Waffle House restaurants tend to be filthy as well as being a corporate chain (at least in my experience).  I would rather not eat than stop at a Waffle House.

No, and I agree with Scorereader and Pigiron

Pigiron, I've experienced the same sanitary issues. But, it is a franchise. there are some owned by the coporation, but many/most are independently owned chains. They've been franchising since 1960.
 
Regarding cleanliness, I've beend talking about my experiences for some time now. NBC Dateline was putting together a report of family chains, and Waffle House was the big loser...until the Salmonella outbreak in Illinois occured, while they were preparing the story, shifting the story and eyes on Chili's. However, it's clear that Waffle House did not fair well in the report when you examine the numbers. Click for story
 
 

 

The Waffle Houses I go to are clean. The crews are always cleaning something in between serving customers. If you go in during the busy time, 7AM to 1PM, you'll find some that are messy, like any other busy kitchen. I've been in them from 1 to 2 PM and they're always cleaning up from the AM rush hours. 
They've been in business since 1955!  Today the Waffle House system operates more than 1,590 restaurants in 25 states and is the world’s leading server of waffles, T-bone steaks, hashbrowns, cheese ‘n eggs, USDA Choice hamburgers, country ham, pork chops, and grits. They must be doing something right!
Granted, some of their older locations show the wear and tear of THOUSANDS of people coming thru their door. That's why they're closing older locations and upgrading others.
Want to buy one of their older locations and try your hand at building your own high quality, always sparkling clean Food Empire? Contact them at:
http://wafflehouse.com/contact-us/surplus-property-for-sale
These folks sure like Waffle House!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx21Fv12UDk&feature=player_embedded

and yet they are consistently at the top of the list for critical violations when reports are compared.
 
They have over 1500 locations, and 1000 of them, that's nearly 2/3 of them, were selected at random for the report. That supports the statistical data. If they had sampled 1 or two percent, maybe one could argue that the sample was too small. But nearly 2/3 of them? That's solid statistical grounds to build a case that they have systematic problems.
 
"Like any other kitchen" you say? I don't think so. The data and comparisons show that they are at the bottom in terms of food safety. These are inspections when they knew ahead of time the exact date and time when the inspection would occur. These aren't "drop in inspections at the height of volume." This would indicate that when they aren't prepared for an inspection, it's worse. AND frankly, a lot of critical violations are not ones that would stick out to the normal eye. If one is actually seeing filth, it's MUCH worse. 
 
I'll pass on the franchise opportunity. According to the data, it's safer to own a Denny's - who had 44% fewer critical violations than Aweful House.  eeechh!

Scorereader.
Your information is incorrect. The report you cite states they surveyed 1000 reports from The 10 Restaurant chains. Thats 100 restaurants per chain, NOT 1000 WH restaurants.
"Total critical violations
Waffle House 594
Ruby Tuesday 514
IHOP 513
TGIF 490
Applebee’s 446
Outback 418
Chili’s 402
Red Lobster 350
Bob Evans 315
Denny’s 296
Note: Based on a survey of 1,000 restaurants, 100 from each of the 10 largest casual restaurant chains in the nation, from Jan. 1, 2003 to March 1, 2004. Source: Dateline NBC
This report was published by a law firm. You don't suppose they might be sitting around the corner, ready to chase an Ambulance do you???

Foodbme


Scorereader.
Your information is incorrect. The report you cite states they surveyed 1000 reports from The 10 Restaurant chains. Thats 100 restaurants per chain, NOT 1000 WH restaurants.
"Total critical violations
Waffle House 594
Ruby Tuesday 514
IHOP 513
TGIF 490
Applebee’s 446
Outback 418
Chili’s 402
Red Lobster 350
Bob Evans 315
Denny’s 296
Note: Based on a survey of 1,000 restaurants, 100 from each of the 10 largest casual restaurant chains in the nation, from Jan. 1, 2003 to March 1, 2004. Source: Dateline NBC
This report was published by a law firm. You don't suppose they might be sitting around the corner, ready to chase an Ambulance do you???

100/1500 is more than enough for a statisticly valid sample.

Whatever Don. It's still a statistical valid sample. And that's 564 critical violations? Holy shmolly. That's even worse.
 
the report is published on a law firms website. The report was furnished by NBC Dateline. Are you suggesting dateline is "ambulance chasing?"
 
BTW - Foodbe me keeps mentioning the WH's in his area. Now, Gilbert is in Tempe/Mesa area. On a quick search and a low sample I saw the March 2010 report for Maracopa County. In that month 1 Waffle House in the county did not have any violations. The one on university ave? I think. So, hopefully, that's your WH.
in the same report, 5 Denny's also had no violations that month.  
 

Funny, isn;t it. We have a Denny's a mile from us...and won't step into that place. Waffle House, lead me to it. Denny's sells "clean" crap, to us, and I* guess Waffle House serves Great tasting "dirty:" breakfasts. As I say to all the chain food haters, I too won't step into a Pizza Hut. but if you so choose, be my guest. Please let's enjoy our differences. Live and let live!!!!

I guess, this is more about being dirty...so...ok.....

Scorereader

BTW - Foodbe me keeps mentioning the WH's in his area. Now, Gilbert is in Tempe/Mesa area. On a quick search and a low sample I saw the March 2010 report for Maracopa County. In that month 1 Waffle House in the county did not have any violations. The one on university ave? I think. So, hopefully, that's your WH.
in the same report, 5 Denny's also had no violations that month.

I lived in the South for over 20 years and have traveled all the states that have WH's and have eaten at a good number of them, (Over 100) and never had or saw a problem with any of them.
STATISTICALLY--- How can that be possible ?????
I also eat and have eaten at many Denny's and have no complaints but find WH just has more Character! Denny's is such a sterile (And I don't mean HD-wise)environment lacking personality and a zip. I also eat at IHOP - very generic. Both have fancy menus with bland, ordinary food.
I'm curious-----How many of you Roadfooders always read the health dept reports before deciding to eat somewhere?

Scorereader


Whatever Don. It's still a statistical valid sample. And that's 564 critical violations? Holy shmolly. That's even worse.

the report is published on a law firms website. The report was furnished by NBC Dateline. Are you suggesting dateline is "ambulance chasing?"

BTW - Foodbe me keeps mentioning the WH's in his area. Now, Gilbert is in Tempe/Mesa area. On a quick search and a low sample I saw the March 2010 report for Maracopa County. In that month 1 Waffle House in the county did not have any violations. The one on university ave? I think. So, hopefully, that's your WH.
in the same report, 5 Denny's also had no violations that month.  

 
That's the one Sheriff Joe eats at

joerogo

Scorereader

Whatever Don. It's still a statistical valid sample. And that's 564 critical violations? Holy shmolly. That's even worse.
the report is published on a law firms website. The report was furnished by NBC Dateline. Are you suggesting dateline is "ambulance chasing?"
BTW - Foodbe me keeps mentioning the WH's in his area. Now, Gilbert is in Tempe/Mesa area. On a quick search and a low sample I saw the March 2010 report for Maracopa County. In that month 1 Waffle House in the county did not have any violations. The one on university ave? I think. So, hopefully, that's your WH.
in the same report, 5 Denny's also had no violations that month.  

That's the one Sheriff Joe eats at

Now THAT'S Funny!
That's the one where he takes his Assistant, The Governor, when they have a date!
(And it's Maricopa, not Maracopa, statistically speaking!)
Maricopa County has 3,955,000 people & the rest of the state has 2,437,000. Joe runs Maricopa Co., and lets Jan run the rest! 

As far as reading health department reports we don't see them very often around this area but in other area's we've lived they were pretty prominently displayed in the local paper. I have looked at them occasionally and decided not to try a place out based on the report.
I have seen a disgustingly dirty Waffle house in South Carolina and moderately dirty ones elsewhere but as a whole I think they try to keep things as clean as possible. On the other hand we have a local diner in my area that is absolutely consistently filthy from the restrooms to the cooks clothing. I've had to quit going there because of the conditions even though the food is pretty good.

when I check out the local health department reports for a couple nearby WH locations, they usually do pretty well.  They rate much better, according to the county, that some of the local Chinese and Mexican places.   And often, they have better scores than the local Cracker Barrel or Denny's.  For breakfast, I'm a WH fan...
 

so wait........ this report spans a 14 month period, and 100 stores each of the top 10 chains....
if we are going to be "statistically correct" the number of each chain needs to be taken into account, also, the time of day inspections were made, the time of year needs to be taken into account also.....
 
if a dirty kitchen floor falls under "critical violation" how many of those were listed vs salmonella in the eggs ??  just saying...
you should put as much into someone elses statistics  as you can put into your own pocket....... numbers are the easiest thing in the world to manipulate, and in this day and age, you cant trust the publishers, let alone the ground pounders....

and yes, i am a waffle house regular :)

I have been a fan of the Waffle House for 40 years.  I am sure that some have issues on occasion but I have never experienced one.  I truly enjoy their breakfast.  They have a very unusual concept as each one I have ever visited is very small but they stay packed around Knoxville, TN
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

we now have 8 waffle houses around town.... 2 of them literally right across the intersection from each other..... they all have their busy and slow times....
but if you want to see a packed house so to say, go to any of them on a weekend after midnight..... a couple of them it takes a 2 hour wait just to get in the door!! 

I would be, but the closest one to me is in Toledo, which is 130 or so miles in a direction I pretty much never travel. However, whenever I travel, I always stop at one at least once. I've been to locations all over Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, and Louisiana, and have never found one to be dirty other than the usual "someone just got up from the table and we haven't had time to bus it" clutter.