The Waffle House

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The Waffle House

It's late one Friday night. You, accompanied by a select group of your closest friends, drive down the interstate, wanting desperately to be at home in the warmth of your bed. Suddenly, the lot of us sees the sign. Like a beacon it is, summoning us to it like proverbial moths to a flame. Forgetting about the need for sleep, we turn onto the off ramp, a string of drool dripping down and off of your chin. "Waffle House," we say with a gleam in our eyes, "we have arrived." What follows will be one of the most important events of our adult lives: a tireless ritual continuing into infinity all across the nation's good expanse.

The Waffle House is without a doubt one of the last surviving institutions of small town Americana. Started in the mid 50's, this restaurant franchise has endured in ways that defy modernization. While McDonald's had to appeal to the younger set by adopting a clown as a spokesperson, and while countless other fast food eateries have embarked on multi million dollar ad campaigns to modernize their images, the Waffle House has remained solid by stating simply, "Good Food Fast, So Come On Down." The place is open nonstop: twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, dedicated to the service of the customer. This simple, hardworking approach appeals to countless numbers of hungry persons, and so it has remained relatively unchanged since its inception.

One noteworthy quality about the Waffle House is the atmosphere. My friends and I burst through the door to claim a booth and instantly attract stares from some of the most degenerate faces on the planet. This confrontation brings to mind the timeless class struggle between the Haves and the Have nots, the bourgeoisie...

... middle of paper ...

...fling" on the major issues. With all of these political bigwigs providing a free ad campaign for Waffle House, it is no wonder that business has been so good recently?

You feel a sense of security in a Waffle House because it is indeed a magical place; no harm can conceivably befall a person locked within its safe confines. The waitresses may not be as warm as that cup of coffee you sip on, but you wouldn't trade them for any other waitresses in the world. At the very least, they wear those really ugly hats that bring smiles to your heart. You are there with friends. You are happy. The Waffle House is a veritable Utopia. Yes, I tell myself, I love the Waffle House. And I mean it. I don't feel this good at home, and certainly not at school. If the Waffle House were a woman, would you ask her to marry you? Of course I would; it would be foolish not to.

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