Waffle House — Restaurant in Virginia

I’ve always LOVED Waffle House, despite everything people said. It’s good food, and cheap. No one in my family likes it, so I don't really get to go. It was my birthday, so yes, all I wanted was Waffle House, and had talked everyone into going with me.

I’ve never personally had an issue with them all these years, but tonight was different. We walked in, and there was one person on the grill; and one waitress. That’s it. Fine. We’ve dealt with that before. At the bar, there were four people already eating, and a woman and her two kids getting served. Aside from them, there was only the six of us that walked in. Every single table was dirty. Every one. There was no table occupied by people, only trash. Totally fine, so we thought we’d stand against the glass where the chairs are placed and wait.

The waitress looked up from wrapping silverware, looked at us, but never acknowledged us by either a head nod, holding her hand up and saying “it’s just us, give me a minute”. Nothing. Totally ignored. Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, we continued to stand there, because again, there was no table that didn’t have plates piled up. We stood there for a good 10 minutes before deciding to walk out and go elsewhere.

Again, there would have been no issue had she just acknowledged us with anything to let us know she did see we came in, and stopped wrapping silverware. We left, and she didn’t even look up. We walked out to the car, and she was still wrapping silverware I’ll never understand this sort...

Today at lunch, the restaurant was busy when we arrived. We waited for a table, and once seated, no server came to us for a while. A couple who arrived after us was served before we even got acknowledged. My husband went to the counter to ask why. When he came back, the waitress explained that the restaurant divides tables among servers, and the couple was in another server’s section, so they were helped earlier.

Instead of giving a calm and understanding explanation, the waitress spoke in a harsh and unfriendly tone. My husband, being someone who doesn’t take that lightly, was upset.

My advice for waitresses: Serving is about hospitality. Customers may not always understand how tables are assigned, but they do notice how they are treated. A warm smile, a polite explanation, and a respectful attitude make all the difference. Being defensive or unfriendly only pushes customers away and can cost you tips. If you stay cheerful and approachable, even when the restaurant is busy, customers will appreciate your effort and are more likely to reward you with better tips.

To Jen (the waitress who served us today): I understand that working in a busy restaurant is stressful, but please remember that how you speak to customers matters just as much as the service itself. If you had explained things more kindly, the situation would have been resolved easily. A little patience and friendliness go a long way, and it will help you earn more tips and...

Great fun staff, clean place, quick service and delivery. Eaten there half a dozen times, it's the nicest waffle house in Roanoke. (There's a new one in Salem that's nice too, but it's nearly brand new). They change the music up regularly, and it's always good. Blues, reggae, beach music, pop, country... Seems to depend on who's cooking. It's cool and gives a chain restaurant a unique feel. Easy to get in/out of on 419, plenty of parking, well lit. All that said, it's a waffle house... Don't expect vegan or a salad bar. It is what it is, but this one's clean and well managed and great for what it is. ADA compliant parking, table and bath access, high chairs.

UPDATE 20230128

Well, it's gone downhill a bit since then. Service is slow now, sometimes quite a wait to place an order. Staff can be kind of surly (don't hate, I work in a restaurant too, I know what they go through) which isn't completely uncommon since the pandemic. They've got staff shortages, I appreciate that. But not always when I'm trying to get breakfast. They've also been closed 4/5 times I've visited in 3 months. Usually around 2am, when I get off work. Frustrating. Otherwise still very good for a Waffle House.

UPDATE 2024.09.17 New Manager, perked back up and it's back to being the best one in town. Music doesn't change as much but the service is back up to excellent....