Waffle House in Bowling Green, Ohio. Photo Credit.
On the Grid: A Look Into the Local Demand for a Waffle House
Article By: Sophie Villarreal, Writer | BCS Chronicle
What You Need To Know:
Waffle House has over 2,100 locations throughout the South.
There are several reasons why College Station residents want a Waffle House.
The City of College Station reached out to Waffle House on multiple occasions, but to no avail.
Waffle fans gather on Facebook to help bring attention to the lack of a Waffle House in BCS.
Waffle House, founded in 1955 in the great state of Georgia, has over 2,100 locations scattered throughout the southern region of the United States. Considered by many to be a staple Southern experience, Waffle House has ingrained itself within the hearts of countless Americans. Unfortunately, many Aggies will never get to experience this unique breakfast beauty, mainly because there isn’t a single Waffle House within 50 miles of the Bryan-College Station area. While the ongoing waffle drought remains steady within the Bryan-College Station area, all hope should not be abandoned.
Why would College Station want a Waffle House in the first place?
According to Stacey Vasquez, Economic Development Manager for the City of College Station, the city reached out to the franchise several times, but to no avail. “The City of College Station has made several attempts to talk with Waffle House about the possibility of coming to our market,” said Vasquez. “However, they have indicated that they do not have any plans to expand in the west market at this time or in the coming years.”
While this news might sound disappointing to some, others question why College Station would want a Waffle House in the first place. After all, Waffle House is far from perfect. So, why should the presence of a Waffle House matter so much in a college town? Well, here are a few reasons:
On game day, a College Station Waffle House would no doubt be a popular dining option. Photo Credit.
Waffle House stays open 24/7, 365 days a year. This availability could provide another place to study for the ever-growing student population at Texas A&M.
Waffle House would provide a much-needed alternative to the already fluffy number of pancake-centric restaurants in the area. Unfortunately, in the city of College Station, there isn’t really another viable option for those who favor waffles, except maybe Mess, Snooze AM Eatery, and IHOP (despite how odd it sounds to order waffles from an establishment whose abbreviation stands for the International House of Pancakes).
Aggie Football is basically a religion in the Bryan-College Station area, and with the adoption of Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC beginning in the 2025 season, our lack of a Waffle House will become an even more pronounced problem. After all, the T-Sippers down in Austin, as well as so many other SEC schools have easy access to Waffle House locations. Why should A&M be the one to miss out on this signature southern chain?
Going Straight to the Source
Corresponding via email, Njeri Boss, VP of Waffle House’s Public Relations team, appeared open to further discussing the idea of a potential College Station location. When questioned why there wasn’t currently a Waffle House in the area, if there were any plans to establish one in the future, and if there is anything that Aggies can do to potentially bring the beloved restaurant to the College Station-Bryan area, Njeri replied, “We currently don’t have immediate plans to open one there yet.” Yet is the most important word in that quote. Yet means that a potential exists to alter the course of College Station and Waffle House History forever.
What can you do about it? How to help bring justice to an Aggie waffle-lover today!
For those interested in helping end the waffle drought in College Station, you can reach out to Waffle House via email, call the franchise yourself, or unite with other enthusiasts via social media in waffle-loving Facebook groups such as College Station Needs A Waffle House. The group’s description on their Facebook page states, “The City of College Station appears to be the only SEC home city without a Waffle House. We need this situation fixed now.” Yes, we do.