Waffle House — Restaurant in Savannah

I hadn’t been to this location in years & will not return in the future. I’m really over WH chains and their terrible customer service. I walked in, probably about 1 minute after another party(2) had walked in, and there was one woman completing her order. The party of 2 retrieved a menu and sat with a menu to decide their order. I already knew exactly what I wanted. One waffle to-go, that’s it, that’s all- I never have a huge morning appetite but for some reason I wanted this waffle bad I waited patiently— an older lady with blonde hair was taking the orders, and after she completed the 1 lady who was paying as I walked in, she told me she had someone ahead of me and to give her a moment, that was fine. She went to take some food orders to some people, servicing 2 or 3 separate tables which was also fine, I was in no rush and knew she was the only waitress. Also being mindful to be respectful of my elder & the fact she’s at the age she is and still a waitress. Kudos to you! A man walks up to pay so she finally come back to the register to take his payment….. says nothing to me at all, although I’m looking dead at her and standing next to the man she is taking payment from, another man walks up right behind him and she proceeds to take his payment as well. At this point, yeah I’m getting annoyed because all I want is a waffle and she simply just ignored me as if I wasn’t standing there after she told me I was next. So I said “Excuse me, do you plan to take my order?” , she tells me she still has someone in front of me… I responded saying “I just watched you service multiple people & now you’re taking 2 people payment so at what point was I next?” She points to the ppl still sitting deciding on their to-go order & basically tell me I’m waiting for them. Are you kidding me? SHE HAD ME WAITING FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SAT DOWN IN THE WAITING SECTION TO DECIDE ON WHAT THEY WERE ORDERING BEFORE TAKING MY ORDER — That really blew my mind, then she had the nerve to say it’s “first come first serve” LMFAO. I came in after them however I was still technically first because I knew exactly what I wanted when I walked through the door & stood at the register in the line where she’d just finish taking another order. It was just a simple WAFFLE ORDER & had she just taken the moment to have common courtesy she would’ve known. That was just downright IGNORANT. She tried to make it a dispute, but I kindly told her I was not there to argue, just to get a waffle & I was trying to be respectful to her. I really don’t even understand how Waffle House is still in business, I sure will not be supporting this establishment anymore that was their last $4.80 from me, in any state I visit. I’m not spending my money to be disrespected & have to deal with the low vibrational energy they staff have. I did not tell you to get a job at Waffle House if you do not like what you do or if it’s too much to handle, seek employment elsewhere. I like to leave tips, even when placing To-go orders for the cook & waitress but in the instance, it was not happening. People really don’t know how they block their blessings with their attitudes. It’s really not hard to fake it to you make it.

& It’s really not worth it & every time I go Waffle House is starting to stink and I literally mean odor wise, so it isn’t just the staff. This place reeks of old mop/dish water. It may be time for tile replacement and a deep cleaning.

Oh, last but not least… The cook burnt my first waffle when she was not even busy. Waitress had to remind her of the waffle & she said “oh shoot”. I didn’t even think she had started it until I seen her trashing it. Had to wait for another & she should also have her wigs tied up, wear a hair net, or a bonnet.

Waitress went from taking payments to picking up plates of food. People don’t realize washing hands is also very important.

This location...

Go here at 4:15AM because that’s when I start my day typically. All three staff are outside. State that they’re on break for 20 minutes. It’s very early and I go for morning walks. No problem. I was polite. I take a walk for 45 minutes and return. They’re chatting and doing some light cleaning pretending to work. On their phones. Blasting music. They have a customer. Myself and others. I’m still observing I order coffee and state I need a moment to order. 10 minutes later still no coffee. At this point I believe I am be soft denied service on account of the fact that I am a white male. Normally this kind of thing would mean they lose a customer. With me when I go into a corporate establishment that my family and friends are the major financial debt holders - we wonder what is going on and it will be going on the meeting minutes of the next board meeting. Equity and inclusion isn’t a hall pass for discrimination it is acknowledgment that the person on both sides of the transaction is human. This restaurant at a bare minimum needs new management and staff or it’s going to affect the corporations to get loans from banks and institutional investors. You never know who might come to your establishment at any hour and if they order a coffee at least get them the coffee. I happened to have read Waffle House’s operations manual and everything is by standard operating procedure. Maybe I’m wrong about the racism accusation but I’m not wrong about SOPs because this chain would not be successful otherwise. I’m now going to spend a good portion of my day contacting executives about my experience because this disrespect did ruin my day and tarnished the brand. People have money invested in places like this and because of that I am going to make sure this gets corrected dress right dress. My experience tells me now by the fact that I am upset rather it signals that there is zero personal accountability and structure within the organization and that makes lending and major capital facilities impossible. I’ve seen friends of mine from very affluent families cut off for less. At Waffle House your front of the house is also your back of the house just like Five Guys. Customers see everything. They have no question about the work ethic, sanitation, or quality of their food or service - but here we are with me doing this first thing in the morning instead of strategic planning for my day and rest of the week. Something WILL be done about this...

I would like answers to how a restaurant that claims to be 24 hours was not open on Saturday night.

Let me give a backstory: I stay on the south side of Savannah, GA. After 3 PM, there are little to no dining options. Luckily, we have three Waffle House locations on that side of town. However, I went to three separate locations and all three were not open to the public or taking orders. Not only were the doors locked at the first location on Abercorn/Eisenhower; but the employees were also in the restaurant (3 employees in total). Three other customers were outside as well, tapping on the glass asking for the clarity I was seeking. They simply ignored us. I pushed along and traveled to the next location, which is the restaurant on Abercorn/Television Circle. I was happy to see the doors were open. However, when I entered I was informed that at 3:30 AM they were no longer taking orders until 'the next shift comes in at 7 AM. Again, it was a staff of 4 employees. Disheartened that I may never find anything to eat, I turned my the final option: the Georgetown location. When I arrived, I walked into an EMPTY restaurant with 2 employees and was TURNED away yet again.

At this point, not only is this simply a waste of money for the company as your employees are being paid to do nothing, but it is also a disgrace to the name and legacy of the company. This is not the first time this has happened. It happens so frequently that I refer to these locations as the 'unreliable' ones. To gloat that you are 'America's Favorite Restaurant', is completely absurd when your employees do not adhere to that specific customer service expectation. I hope to see a change in the future as I do enjoy the atmosphere and...