Pattern “All of the Means” hashbrowns at a Georgia Waffle Home

My lunch from the all-day breakfast menu is divided into three plates: one for the sausage, one for the waffle, and one for eggs, toast, and hash browns. All that premium when you order the All Star Special at Waffle House.

One of America’s largest restaurant chains, Waffle House has a Southern tradition. More than 2,100 of the iconic yellow signs line the freeways and trade routes in 25 states. They’re as numerous in the south as Dunkin’ is in the northeast.

On the other side of the Mason-Dixon line, the signs appear regularly. There are some as far north as Pennsylvania, but the largest concentration is in Georgia, where the chain was founded. Open 24 hours a day, the Waffle House serves a limited selection of American standards to locals and travelers alike. Breakfast All Day includes one page of the placemat menu. A burger-focused lunch/dinner menu covers the other side.

The classic waffle at Waffle House has the restaurant’s logo embossed in the center.

Frank Whitman / For the Connecticut Media Group

On the All-Star came over-light eggs, just the way I like them, with two slices of toast, hash browns (or grits), sausage (or bacon or ham), and the famous waffle with the restaurant’s logo center embossed on it. The coffee, served in a white china cup, was excellent. Refills (“Would you like a warm-up?”) were poured from a pot.

Marsha ordered healthy scrambled eggs with toast and sliced ​​tomatoes. We didn’t get a chance to sample the ubiquitous grits. My brother-in-law Mark knows filling food when he sees it. He now lives in California but has some history with the Waffle House menu. When I asked him for suggestions, he replied, “Hash Brown’s ‘whole’ is a key to happiness in life.”

Didn’t see it on the menu but mentioned it to our server India. She sat back and said, “You mean you want chili, white sauce, onion, tomato, jalapeño, ham, mushroom, and cheese?” I replied, “Yup,” explaining that I was acting on family advice. A bit like loaded nachos, but on top of potatoes, it’s one of those outrageously delicious things you need to know about — an insider thing.

Hash Browns all-the-way at Waffle House are topped with chili, white sauce, onion, tomato, jalapeño, ham, mushroom and cheese.

Hash Browns all-the-way at Waffle House are topped with chili, white sauce, onion, tomato, jalapeño, ham, mushroom and cheese.

Frank Whitman / For the Connecticut Media Group

The most expensive item on the menu is only ten dollars. Try as best I could to pad the check with a full breakfast offering and the hash brown add-ons. The bill was only $22.50 including coffee. The menu prices include the statutory VAT.

At the Waffle House, waiters call out orders to the grill chef as they walk away from the table. Old school but effective. No fancy computer systems here. Handwritten checks with cryptic notes on special requests have always worked. A sophisticated code system helps the chef put the right combination of dishes on the plate.

Dining at a famous waffle house is a draw for anyone visiting (or just traversing) the South. Where we ate along I-75 in Macon, Georgia there were cars with license plates from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida and of course Connecticut along with Georgia.

Waffle Houses are open 24 hours a day no matter what. I understand that FEMA has an informal disaster index that includes the restaurants. If the local waffle house continues as usual, the disaster conditions will be tolerable. With limited hours or menus, more help is needed. When the restaurant is closed, the situation is urgent.

I told India how much I enjoyed all my hash browns. She reminded me to tell Mark with a smile.

Frank Whitman writes a weekly food column called Not Bread Alone. He can be reached at NotBreadAloneFW@gmail.com.