IamA Waffle House district Manager - we're about to make it scatter, smothered and covered in here! AMA!

Why is there no Waffle House in El Paso? Such a huge military base with tons of folks from all over the south who miss WH like crazy, and the closest one is in Albuquerque. This is unacceptable.

I've drunkenly questioned/admonished your Twitter team about this before. I was ignored. I want to know why nobody has realized what a huge money maker that would be for your company. Send the idea up the ladder, PLEASE. We can't even get gravy biscuits at any McDonald's there. It's insanity.

I will pass it along.

Why aren't you working?

Ummmm.... Why aren't you?....

Because I don't work at WaHo

well there's still hope...

Hey, when are you going to add Mac and Cheese to the menu? Goes great with waffles.

I bet it does! but doesn't everything else too?

I understand that the severity of a natural disaster is sometimes determined by how many waffle houses are still open in the area. How bad does it have to be before a waffle house will close?

We will close when its a mandatory evacuation, structural damage to the building, no potable water etc.

We are the last to close and the first to open in situations involving natural disasters. We are able to do this because we prepare for them like no one else.

For example, if there is a hurricane coming we have a response team on standby, Food trucks ready to go, fuel trucks, generators and the like. If we cant get up and running with that kind of support than its got to be bad.

Tim Hortons is like that in Canada. You guys should have some sort of international summit to compare strategies.

I plan on going to Canada one day. Just added Tim Hortons onto my list of places to go

Thank god too. Last time we had a major snowstorm here (Atlanta) and power was out for most nieghborhoods, and the streets were completely shut down, I walked to Waffle House a few miles away for some heat and a hot cooked meal

I had the pleasure of being able to help out our comrades in Atlanta during the 2011 winter storm. Cool group of people there in ATL

After reading yesterday's AMA, I drove two hours from NYC to the closest WaHo in PA just to try the food. I definitely loved the smothered hash.

My question is, what would it take to break into new areas? Do you look at the general populace or do you follow truckers?

Wow that's flipping awesome that you made a day trip out of the waffle house! I bet that location was booming today!

Like I said yesterday, waffle house doesn't Typically just drop ship restaurants in the middle of a state with no support close by. They pretty much just work their way up the highways and follow the business

As a District Manager presumably in a District which is encompassed by a larger Region, are you an Assistant to the Regional Manager?

the chain of command goes Unit>District>Division>Region/AVP

Every time I go to WH, the cooks are always in their zone, cooking to a rhythm. If you were ever a cook, what went on through your head as you were cooking?

Also, how do you like your hashbrowns?

I have an extensive background with that grill. I could cook you anything you can think up at a waffle house and make it just as good or better than any other guy/girl.

Yes the rhythm is a must in order to get a good pace going. Once you find it you don't want to stop.

what went through my head... Well when I'm cooking and i'm in the zone i'm usually thinking about the next 6 orders I have to cook. Either than or "DAMNIT I NEED TO FINISH THESE ORDERS SO I CAN EAT, I'm STARRRRVVVVIIINGGG"

I like my hashbrowns scattered well all the way. but with just 3 jalapenos instead of a whole scoop and cut up fine. topped with chili and another slice of cheese. no gravy

I feel like I'm missing out on this "Waffle House" place. The closest one is 825.2 miles apparently. If I ever stumbled upon one, what should I definitely order?

Everything.

Does your research and development team cater towards drunk people and truck drivers?

Waffle House was originally made into a 24 diner for the working man back in the 50's so of course truck drivers have always been our bread and butter for the night crowds. The drunken night crawlers just followed suit. I don't think we design our menu specifically for "drunk people". The food is great any time of the day!

Which store is #1 in sales on average in the country?

I'm not sure who is the busiest at the moment. I know the one in Olympic park set a record for highest opening day. That was exciting.

How much does it cost to actually make a waffle vs how much you sell them for?

Cost is roughly .50 cents. Sale is 3.20

Whats $15/hr going to do to your cost of goods sold?

not negatively affecting us so far! In fact we are already paying our employees up to $15/hr in some markets with our new Rock Star program we recently rolled out this past year! its been a huge success!

Do you have a standard policy for unruly (drunk) customers?

I've seen some shit go down in my area Waffle House.

(Follow Up): What's the craziest thing you have heard of happening in any Waffle House?

Typically we will tell them they have to calm down or they will be asked to leave. If they refuse to leave than we will call the popo's.

craziest shit?.... I've seen plenty of fights over the years. Two come to mind, both happened at the same location.

situation#1: 1am, drunk guy is sitting at the high counter by himself. Couple comes in and the woman is dressed in night time attire and a shower cap. The drunk guy at the bar was antagonizing her and after she repeated told him to leave her alone her 300lb boyfriend(who had been sitting quetly up until this point) stood up and told him to shut his mouth or he would break his plate over his head. The drunk guy paused, thought about it for a moment and then opened his mouth to say something and WHAM! dish fragments flying everywhere

situation#2: New years eve, full house, Loud as possible. group of guys playing dice in the bathroom turns into a brawl. 3 guys on 1 stomping him.

Does it annoy you when customers use the lingo to order their food? I used to eat at WaHo so much I knew the short order by heart:

Triple scrambled light, triple plate scattered light, two bacon out like one.

No not at all. If the customer is obnoxious and starts yelling it out to the cook while other people are putting in orders or when there are orders infront of them that is understandably annoying at times but more often than not its funny.

I never yell it out to the chef, but it makes it a whole lot easier to ask for an over medium plate w/sausage smothers and covered...leaves no room for confusion and ending up with grits

hey you might still end up with grits anyway. AMIRITE? ;)

while I drive home

Why were you on Reddit at work?
- Not your superior

Finishing up my day and I was eager to get the AMA going. It was 5:40 and I had told everyone from yesterday's AMA to expect me around 4 or 5

Where is the biggest waffle house in the country? Where is the waffle house that does the most business?

To my knowledge they're all the same size (about 44 seating capacity not including waiting chairs) Waffle House doesn't make their restaurants bigger. Instead they build another one close by to divide the business evenly when one unit is super busy. That's why you see so many down the street from eachother in Atlanta, GA.

The busiest open we've ever had was at the Olympic Park unit 1996(I think) in GA. I'm not sure how well they sustained that high volume over the long term but it was a record breaking open for them.

I have driven through the south and never understood why there would be so many in a row at times.

Thank you for the explanation and the (I)ama

no problem! thank you for being a part of it!

What is the difference in scope between a district manager and regional manager?

unit manager - 1 unit

district - 2-3 units

division - 5-12 units

region - 15-25+ units

Do you have pierced nips also?

nope.

Have you met Bert of the decidedly unexceptional "Bert's Chili"?

As I said in yesterday's AMA

Regrettably, no. Bert is retired. He was the president of the company and was on his way out when I joined the team back in 2008. :( He was a very wise man and I still use his tips to this day and always will. (They show videos of him speaking in training)

Are all Waffle House stores corporate-owned, or are there franchises?

Its about 80% corporate and 20% franchise. That's come a long way from the old days when it was 20% corporate and 80% franchise. To the best of my knowledge waffle house is not allowing any new franchises. Only existing franchisees still exist.

Franchisees are a pain in the ass to corporate.

Franchisees are a pain in the ass to everyone.

I worked at mcdonalds for 4 years. all corporate under the very end. They sold my location to a franchisee. I worked for them for about 2 months and then I put in my two weeks notice. I cant handle all the favoritism, lack of oversight, pettiness and lack of upward movement. its nauseating to think about.

Since I've worked for waffle house I have yet to see any quality employees come from a franchisee. then again I guess they keep their good ones and only the bad ones leave. but damn if they weren't BAAAAD!

Family and I had breakfast at the WaHo near the Huntsville Space Center during our trip there. Props to that crew if you don't mind getting the message to them.

If you had to guess, what would be the average reaction of staff when they get news that you'll be paying a visit?

... on a scale of "I Hate That Piece Of Shit", to, "YAY!!!"

Waffle House has what they call an "aggressive show up agenda" for management. We are always showing up at restaurants all the time. So its not like they're caught with their pants down when we show up because we just operate like someone is coming all the time.

average reaction to me paying a visit? Pretty relaxed. they know what I expect so they probably all do a quick check of their uniforms and check their stations to make sure they are tidy. Ive seen plenty of cases where the staff and/or managers start scrambling because someone is coming or just showed up. But its less stressful to just be prepared all the time.

I feel like you guys would make a killing in London. Every time I've been there I got the impression that they love a damn fry-up. I guess my question is: Are there any plans to expand the brand outside the continental U.S.? Or will you grow outward, new branches close to the old, like some kind of delicious fungus?

I don't know what the plans are for going international. There is still sooooo much ground to cover inside the continental US. We've been around over 60 years and we're just getting started. I'm sure the day will come, hopefully in my lifetime.

What has six nipples and three teeth?

idk, what?

The night shift at Waffle House!!!

LOL

The fact you can be a good sport about a joke like this makes me happy!

I used to tell a joke:

I'm trying to figure out if being a Waffle House employee makes you toothless or if being toothless makes you a Waffle House employee. I'm kidding, obviously it's the meth.

I was proud of that joke and would always tell it to get a cheap laugh until one day I told it to a coworker who promptly informed me she was a recovered meth addict. I don't tell that joke anymore.

Do you think Waffle House would do well in the Northeast? I think it would be hard to compete with all the diners here.

Only time will tell! TBH I've never seen a bad reaction to a waffle house opening up. Communities really get amped up over it.

How much did Waffle House pay for all this advertising?

Waffle House doesn't pay for advertisement. Period. Only inside the restaurants. Or if a manager of a restaurant is hosting an event like a waffle eating contest or involving themselves in a local parade they will spend a little money on nic nacs like t-shirts or something.

Waffle house relys on word of mouth advertisement. If we do good than you'll tell someone. If we do bad than you'll tell everyone. So its in everyones better interest to do good.

What about the Waffle House sponsored #43 of Aric Almirola in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series?

I'm pretty sure they came to us. Not the other way around.

I've never been to a Waffle House but have thought about it when I occasionally drive pass one. I see on the WH website that the "full menu is available upon request". What else might I find on the full menu? (Nothing on the website menu is really jumping out at me...)

We have two menus. One is our "Favorites menu" which is all of the most common menu items that people order. That's the one with the pictures.

Out full menu has everything on it. But it's all works and what not, no pictures.

How many managers in each restaurant?

As a District Manager, how many stores are you responsible for?

Each unit has a single unit manager who is responsible for that restaurant. It's not like a Cracker Barrel or a Chuy's where there is a GM, 1st assistant, 2nd assistant, Togo manager etc.

One manager per restaurant.

Districts can have 1, 2 or 3 units 1 unit districts are usually in situations where it's a newly opened restaurant and there's a lot of business so we put multiple levels of management in one location.

2 unit districts are becoming more common, usually in high volume situations or newly promoted districts.

3 unit districts are the norm. Districts will never have more than 3.

I have 3.

So at your level managing 3 restaurants, what's the next step up since your district can't grow?

Division manager.

Are you responsible for overseeing day to day operations, or week to week? It seems like the UM/SM would be week to week.

How do you handle fiduciary controls when the UM isn't in the store? Periodic audits of the wait staff given fiduciary responsibilities?

District managers in waffle house operate the Units when their manager is off. I work two days at each of my units. Also I stop at another unit before I go home for the day.

I also have employees who are trained to do managerial responsibilities. We grow our team to be as independent as possible.

6 day weeks are no joke man

we work an 8 day work week. 6 days on, 2 days off.

Which creates a rotating schedule. so for example this week I'm off Monday/Tuesday. work 6 days then i'm off Tuesday/Wednesday and then the next week Wednesday/Thursday etc.

that way everyone gets equal number of everything

Would you have happen to hear any rumors of a waffle house opening somewhere in the Utah area in the nearby future?

no I have not

I once heard that Waffle House pays its employees in cash. Is this true? Was it ever true? Why do this?

waffle house used to pride themselves on being a cash business. they (reluctantly at the time) finally started accepting credit cards back in 2008'ish. Yes we still pay employees in cash, part of the cash business models of yesteryear that still lingers in our culture today. this year we finally started offering direct deposit to the employees who are interested. Some immediately switched to direct deposit, a few are still being hard nosed about it. Old habbits die hard I guess.

for clarity it was just hourly employees who got/get paid in cash. Management have always gotten direct deposit. At least as long as ive been here.

Are any of your coworkers/employees also Redditors? And if so, how has your relationship with them changed when you/they found out?

One of my managers is an avid redditor and when I told him about the huge response(and karma) I got from yesterday's AMA he said "YOU'VE GOT TO DO AN AMA!". He's a cool guy and I enjoy working with him a lot. When we're not talking business we're shooting the shit about Reddit or Pokemon GO.

Favorite Pokemon you've caught so far?

Pikachu ofcourse

If the employees knew that I don't particularly like waffles, will I be ridiculed and ejected?

What else should I get besides my standby of grilled cheese melt on texas toast with hashbrowns covered and smothered?

ridiculed, maybe. ejected, doubtful.

A texas grilled cheese with a hashbrown scattered and smothered. that's exactly what I used to order back before I worked here when I was just discoverying the glory of waffle house and their cool nick names for their toppings.

Really everything is good. The cheesesteak melt is popular. Just as long as they grill your onions just right and theyre not raw in your sandwich.

also, get some chili ontop those scattered, smothered hashbrowns. next time ask for them "topped" as well.

How often are you supposed to clean under the cook line?

people clean under there?

kidding. Should be cleaned throughout the shift and at the end of the shift before shift change.

how often does it get cleaned? I suppose that's dependent on how well managed that specific location is. Underneath the back bar is a pet peve of mine.

1 - How long have you been with Waffle House?

2 - More importantly, do you have any plans to try and track down /u/not_a_manager and at minimum provide kompany kudos for the rare authentic AMA which has brought so much positive attention to your company?

P.S. you are clearly a redditor and very well played putting the manager in his/her place after trying to put the associate (O.G. O.P.) in his/her place.

1 - 8 years! the weeks are long but the years are short!

2 - LOL I don't need to track her down, I can tell her right now!

clearly a redditor

I saw an opportunity and I took it! did not think it would blow up the way it did! I was answering comments all night and morning from that!

I think that /u/A1A5KA is talking about official kudos.

I know that I, for one, had no intention of stopping into a Waffle House since I assumed it was basically an Ihop copy, but seeing the way both /u/not_a_manager and yourself have conducted these has impressed me, and I'll likely stop into a local one soon and see what strikes my fancy.

I think I am not alone in this.

Maybe I'll see you than!

Just to clarify, IHOP and Waffle house and only similar in that we both serve breakfast food.

Like comparing a Hibachi restaurant to Texas Roadhouse because they both sell steaks

IHOP : Waffle House :: Hot Pockets : Beef Wellington.

I will fight anyone that tries to claim IHOP is in any way better than Waffle House. And I will win.

You and me both

What's the weirdest Waffle House related story you have?

4am a few months ago a group of hunters walked into the restaurant and quickly occupied the bathrooms. One of them decided he couldn't wait and made number 2 behind the building. Guess who cleaned it up.

/u/not_a_manager , that's who.

lmao! no I decided to be the bigger person and take care of it myself. I remember when I was 16 years old working at mcdonalds and someone made #2 all over the stall in the women's restroom. My manager tried to delegate it to me how upset I was.

As a general manager, i have to say something. I have a DM like you. I would go to war for him. You're responses on this AMA make me happy. I hope you're as nice in real life as you are on here. If you are I'm sure your employees respect and love you. Never forget how you got to were you are.

Thank you a lot!

The new guy?

guess again

...one of the cooks?

nope

Hunters are animals.

savage

I'm an Area Director for a large family-style chain. Would be considered one of your competitors. I've been in the biz since 1978. I just read one of your comments that states you have 3 units. Damn. I have 8, and that's down from one time I had 10. Though we do have a GM, 2-3 assistants, and at least 1 hourly manager per unit, so it's not like i'm pulling positions.

So... what the hell do you do all day with only 3 restaurants?? And there are DMs with only 1 or 2?... I can't even imagine. That's like a glorified GM job.

in some cases it is like a glorified GM.

what do I do with all my time. what time? lol

Do you enjoy your work? I am getting my degree in Tourism Management in December and am seriously considering working for Waffle House.

I really do enjoy what I do. I didn't set out to do this but I gave it a shot and I fell in love with it. I definitely suggest our management program to anyone who is getting ready to graduate college. www.WHCareers.com good luck!

Do you specifically formulate the chili to go well with steak sauce or is that just a happy coincidence?

Bert knew what he was doing

Did you happen to know that when you jumble the letters of Waffle House you get the phrase "Whoa! Elf Fuse!!"?

no I did not. but now I do. and knowing is half the battle. G.I. JOOOOOOOOOEE

Are all waffle houses still supposed to be posted no conceal carry? I've heard a rumor about that on the Internet where all things are true, but was recently in a Texas WH and it wasn't posted.

Edit: thanks for the answer. The Internet is a lying mistress not to be trusted.

To the best of my knowledge WH does not restrict people from carrying their sidearm. It may vary from region to region or state to state.

If y'all so happen to actually build up in Chicago, think you'd consider hiring your friendly neighborhood waitress?

Of course!

Hello!

Every time I travel down south I stop in one. Love the food, and it's always scattered, smothered, and country!

So everyone was asking in the other thread: when are you going to put a restaurant in... Wisconsin? My closest is 231.3 miles away :(

Oh snap! That's far! I can't give an answer as to when but I can tell you that we are growing at an exponential rate! So the sky is the limit really. We still have NYC Chicago untapped not to mention the entire west coast!

Is today your day off?

No, but I am done with work for the day.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Probably unanimous love everyone has for it. Everywhere I go (in uniform) people will either recognize me or my uniform at least and stop me to tell me how much they love Waffle House. It's a great feeling. I can't think of many other places where you will get that kind of love and support from almost everyone.

Do you have any stories about moving up in the ranks at Waffle House? And what's the worst thing you've encountered in a Waffle House bathroom?

what kinds of stories about moving up in the ranks? Ive seen people fake it well enough to get promoted but their bullshit always comes out in the long run and they fizzle out sooner or later.

worst thing encountered in the bathroom... just use your imagination and I've probably seen it. or the aftermath of it...

Remember Stuckey's? They're making a comeback ya know. It'll soon be over for you Waffle House!!

lol never even heard of them. Tell them to bring it on!

I'm reposting my comment that went unanswered from the other ama, this is probably actually a better place to ask it anyways.

I'm in a touring band, hitting up a waffle house around 2am after a show is a staple of our lifestyle. How in the hell do you guys have such good quality control? We've probably been to hundreds of locations all up and down the east coast, and never been disappointed.

I personally will only put people on the night shift who I know I can trust and who I am fully confident can execute the job the way we showed them. its the only way I can sleep at night.

Also, employee empowerment goes a long way. Give someone some extra responsibility and they will appreciate their job a lot more.

How was waffle house university? I thought about after I finished college I move up into becoming and unit and I wanted to know the process on how they train and stuff? I already know a little about in-unit but that is about it?

Also just a random thought if an hourly wants to move up do they still have to do all the training or do they skip all the stuff they already know?

WHU wasn't bad at all. Classroom style setting while various people come in from all of the different departments and teach you things about the company. Review information and then get tested on it. It was easy for me.

if an hourly wants to move up do they still have to do all the training or do they skip all the stuff they already know?

Newly hired managers go through a 12 week training program including WHU. Typically Hourly to management are far less than that since they've gotten most of the material covered already. It's up to the division and AVP to decide where you are and what you need to get done prior to WHU

Huge Waffle House Fan here (I'm on a diet though). Fresh food, real ingredients, and that incredible order system!

I often travel and stop at Waffle House whenever it is nearby. They are amazingly consistent given the wide range of often interesting and unique employees, most with great attitudes. There is ONE Waffle House, however, that is a consistent problem, the one nearest my home. In over 10 years they have truthfully Never gotten an order right and I have a couple times walked out w/o ever being served. Turns out this place has a reputation in the other WH's in my sprawling metropolitan home town.

My question is: Who can I contact at corporate to make them aware of this situation? Are there some locations that are just cursed? This WH is in a typical by-the-freeway suburban location.

There is a customer hotline you can call. Surely if they are as bad as you say they've already gotten countless complaints by now. 1-877-9WAFFLE

cursed locations? I haven't come across any. there are some however that are in really bad towns where everyone who lives there is just awful

They just opened a new Waffle House in my town. There were about 20 people working in the store when I went. How many employees does a typical WH have and what's the attrition rate like?

The number of employees working on a shift depends on the volume of that location. New restaurants in particular tend to be very busy and so they will have a full staff no matter what.

When will be getting Waffle Houses on the westcoast? I love your food so much!

Not soon enough!

What's your most hated jukebox song?

That "refill" song. I once had a server who would play that 10 times per shift. I threatened her with her job over that song.

Are there any plans for a wafflehouse in central Illinois? Huddle house is blasphemy and my closest location is 1.5 hours :(

Also im clearly a fan

A lot of people have asked me this. The only thing I can say is "only time will tell"

Does Waffle House offer franchise opportunities in locations they are not currently operating? i.e. US states you are not currently in or international locations.

I was told by a creditable source in my corporate office that Waffle House is no longer allowing new franchises ever since the 2008 recession.

With the addition of a stack of pancakes emoji in Unicode 9.0, and the notable absence of a waffle emoji, how does Waffle House plan to strike back at International House of Pancakes?

Waffle House sponsors Pro golfer Brooke Pancake, I thought that was a corporate sucker punch.

Why the fuck can't I get waffle batter pancakes?

friends don't let friends eat pancakes

We need Waffles in Chicago. Where are you? I mean, there is one not too far, but its permanently closed, and I don't know If I should just run or something

oh gosh Chicago must be a natural disaster all in itself

Do you think Waffle House will ever re-brand, or will it stick to the same old style until the earth explodes?

The son of the founder and owner of the business has stated several times that we are who we are and won't change to be something else.

How do you justify a 10% carry out service charge on food that prision cafeterias would put to shame?

The 10% gratuity added to the togo orders is to encourage our waitresses to take care of the customers who are not sitting infront of them. If they didn't get any kind of compensation than do you think they would give a crap about answering the phone? And then guess who's walking in the door 20 minutes later angry as all hell because nobody would answer the phone so he could order some "prison food". You, that's who.

Also, if you think prison food is so much better than go eat at a prison :)