Waffle House goes from nice to war zone and back again just about every day. It never closes, never... If a Waffle House is closed you better have a boat or a gun cause what ever comes next will likely require one or both.
A friend and I Walked into Waffle House at 3am after I was released from the ER. My shirt was blood stained and half my face was bandaged up and it solicited pretty much no reaction from the staff or anyone else.
I think it is very different. IHOP is a low grade sit-down restaurant where all the food is too sweet. Denny's is sometimes better, but still decidedly low grade. The problem with both is they kinda try to serve stuff that could be better, but they suck at it.
Waffle House has no pretensions, they are unashamedly serving super simple food with zero attempt to be fancy. But they're pretty good at what they do choose to serve (or at least pretty consistent).
I love going there any time I'm in the South. I really wish we had them in the PNW. We're finally starting to get some In-n-Outs here, I'd be in heaven if we got Waffle House too. I can dream...
These places are far more civilized than a waffle house. Waffle houses have to hire security guards to deal with the drunken foolishness that goes down inside most weekend nights (at least those sited nearish to bars). Everything in the waffle house is able to be cleaned with a hose.
> Waffle houses have to hire security guards to deal with the drunken foolishness that goes down inside most weekend nights
As is so often true, this is highly variable based on geography and local culture, and the contention that a Denny's is more 'civilized' than a Waffle House has a lot more to do with which one's you're frequenting than it does with the restaurants themselves.
Just the way they setup the restaurants is enough to quell a certain level of chaos in a typical dennys. Usually they are pretty sprawling on the inside. Plenty of space between booths. Kind of dimmer/hotel lounge aesthetic in the more recently renovated ones (don't ask me why I am so familiar with short order breakfast chains). Same with ihop only they lean heavily into the kid friendlyness, with posters of decadent sweet pancakes.
Waffle house is cramped, brightly lit with harsh fluorescent light, and nothing but hard surfaces. A few drunk people talking is enough to fill the entire restaurant including the exposed kitchen with sound. If they start throwing anything it quickly hits everyone in the restaurant including the line cooks. I've seen probably four people vomit all over the place in a waffle house. I can't say I've seen anything quite the same in the dennys, usually its truckers and the elderly there not people showing up after last call at the bars.
They're designed so that, if necessary, they can be operated by a single employee. That's why they're so tightly cramped around the grill: so that someone can cook and still keep an eye on a table.
This is also what makes it really easy to get attached to your local Waffle House: the staff make the place what it is.
One day I hope to have time to have a brief stint as a WH short order cook, and learn the art of catching a thrown chair. It’s also the only way to buy shares in the org, as they’re private but have an employee stock plan. A special slice of America; if you haven't been, highly recommend.
The sad thing is that they used to be good. At least not that long ago, the one near me was my go-to for corned beef hash. However, after the last visit barely 5 years ago, never going there again.
It is very different because of the size and layout. You almost feel like everyone, including the cooks, are at one big table. It is honestly one of my favorite places to eat alone. It can be really fun at times. Also, kind of dangerous too
