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Condiment codes of the Waffle House kitchens
flickr.com — I was sitting in at a Waffle House this morning and discovered something intriguing as I watched the short-order cook prepare orders. They communicate with condiments. After a little digging around, I found a cheat sheet explaining exactly what condiment means what and how to arrange them on a plate to indicate a specific order.
MrBabyMan- 1081 diggs
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- mwsherman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+56Be careful. If someone abroad reads this, you can go to jail for revealing an American encryption scheme.
- nsummy, on 10/12/2007, -66/+7Yah this has to be the most pointless digg post I have seen in awhile. Who really cares about how a minimum wage cook prepares your meal? Are we going to start posting Mcdonalds training manuals on digg now? This also is irrelevant to most of America, as the Waffle House is more of a down south hillbilly thing.
- RatherDashing, on 10/12/2007, -10/+26I think thats pretty damn interesting!
Waffle House > IHOP. - jwelchtex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27@nsummy
Do you have a McDonald's training manual. I'd really like to take a look. - westoncampbell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15@RatherDashing
There's no iHOP where I live, but there's a WaffleHouse and I must tell you that it's great -- especially if it's 3AM and you're drunk. - Dhalsim007, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Damn DMCA! Does this apply now because the photo is digital? :-) WaffleHouse will sue all our asses!
- gxcdesign, on 10/12/2007, -12/+4I feel dumber reading this
- dvpdziyn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Waffle House is awesome. I live just outside Chicago and can't stand that there's no Waffle Houses nearby. However, trip to Indianapolis? Stop at Waffle House? Family going to Orlando - Waffle House - check! Trip out to Colorado Springs...helloooo Waffle House - I just love me some scattered hash browns!
- CAvenger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6What I want to know is why the HELL Waffle House doesn't have any french fries!!!
- southwestnut, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Got Munchies?
Go to Waffle House!!! - iceperson, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3"Who really cares about how a minimum wage cook prepares your meal?"
Some people might care that the cooks speak so little English that something like this is necessary... - HalFTW, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Are the workers illiterate or something?
- Xarou, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I could get a McDonald's training book... heck I may still have one at home.
- daedalus1982, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@iceperson
"Some people might care that the cooks speak so little English that something like this is necessary..."
have you been to waffle house during a rush? the cooks have 3 plates each backed up that wooden counter they use.
how would you prefer them indicate on the plate what your order is? papers get lost and mixed.
Now if it wasn't for you comment indicating you haven't been to Waffle House in a long time, i would ask you when you last remember them EVER messing up an order. - violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13"Some people might care that the cooks speak so little English that something like this is necessary..."
This is the "code" the cooks use to know what to cook at a quick glance, much easier than writing it down. The orders are still communicated to them in English (usually very fast, by a waitress with a southern accent, in a fairly noisy restaurant). Feel free to continue being a bigot though. Jackass. - stratdog25, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Waffle House FTW!!!!11!!1!one
I love it when they take too long to bring my order and the waitress says "I'm sorry about your wait!" to which I reply, "MY WEIGHT??? what's wrong with my weight??? are you saying I'm fat????"
too funny.
Nsummy, just because something doesn't impact your boring and pointless life doesn't mean you should be mean to those who choose to work as short order cooks or otherwise. They are just as important a part of our society as those who do nothing but criticize American culture on Digg. - cblalock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@nsummy
You'd better respect el casa de waffle. You hear me? RESPECT IT! - sleepwalkers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@iceperson: Have you SEEN my handwriting? I don't know a single person who would prefer to decipher my chicken scratch over looking at a plate and knowing what to do.
- AaronTyler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Now if they could only have codes for cleaning those greasy ass floors.....
- masgrada, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So how do they know the orientation of the pickles?
- adamprawitz, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2I used to like Waffle House until I realized that I only liked them for their silly hash brown orders: chopped, shredded, smothered, etc. Their food is pretty greasy.
- theblooms, on 10/12/2007, -1/+35It's "Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Chunked, Topped, Diced & Peppered"!
I KNOW my Waffle House hash browns! - RatherDashing, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12Those hashbrowns are def. not on the Atkins diet, but absolutely worth it.
- drmangrum, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20You don't go to waffle house because it's healthy. You go to waffle house at 3am when your drunk, hungry, and don't really care.
- bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3What? You "realized" you only...what? I don't even understand this sentence. If you like the freakin' hashbrowns, you like the freakin' hashbrowns.
And if you're saying the ONLY reason you liked the hashbrowns was because you got to say 'scattered, smothered', and other silly words, then you're an idiot.
And if it took you more than 1.16 seconds to process that FRIED PIECES OF POTATO will be greasy, then you should immediately be banned from the interwebs, because your lack of comprehension and cognitive faculties waste the rest of our bandwidth. - MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@drmangrum I initially read that as drunk, horny, ...
And was very scared..
- theblooms, on 10/12/2007, -1/+35It's "Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Chunked, Topped, Diced & Peppered"!
- interg12, on 10/12/2007, -29/+11vote up if you think IHOP destroys waffle house in ultimate breakfast goodness
- bendedavis, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1IHOP ftw
- ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3waffle house is such a freakin hick place
if i want my eggs used as cigarette filters i'll go to wafflehouse
if i want a clean, decently priced breakfast, i go to dennys.
ihop is somewhere between the two - john570, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19IHOP sucks. $5 bucks for your meal and another $4 bucks for your orange juice. Food isn't as good either.
- bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Denny's is just as *****, if not *****, than Wafflehouse. Friend of mine went to Denny's not too long ago. Kept smelling crap. Looked over, and a dirty baby diaper was just sitting on the table. No one had bothered to come by and pick it up, clean the table, or anything.
Plus, Denny's has bland food. - violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10The fact that you can't see the kitchen in Denny's or IHOP scares the ***** out of me. What is it they're doing back there with my breakfast? Wafflehouse clearly has nothing to hide.
- geniusj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I recommend a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on texas toast at WH.. It is stellar :-D
- picaman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Bacon, egg and cheese plate, double the plate, scattered, smothered, and covered".
That's what the waitress used to yell when I ordered, and I got a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with a double order of hash browns, with pickle slices and a packet of mayo.
Now most WHs have the &$)%*#) point-of-sale idiot-button machines like all fast-food restaurants, and that Waffle House lingo that was such a 3AM comfort is slowly dying out.
- MrBabyMan, on 10/12/2007, -10/+16Credit where credit is due. The link is direct to the source, but the above description comes from a blog post on Boing Boing:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/03/06/condiment_codes_of_t.html- violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Dugg for your honesty and citing your reference, there's not nearly enough of that on the internet.
- Alphateam, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9informative, but useless.
I'll be sure and remember if I change my profession to short order cook.
Thanks! - REBOP, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@adamprawitz
Greasy? Thank you Captain Obvious! I've never seen any health nuts there.- WeBuiltThisCity, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1@ImTheDarkcyde
I'm surprised Denny's will even serve you. From what I hear they don't serve "darks"
- WeBuiltThisCity, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1@ImTheDarkcyde
- 12geeks, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1That's pretty gross that he had to eat at Waffle House enough times to figure this out.
- raynar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15scattered smothered covered and chunked. Can't tell if it descrbies the hashbrowns going in or coming out.
- johnmacd, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3this is just plain stupid. who cares? This made the front page. Dugg down for being lame
- TonyThePrawn, on 10/12/2007, -11/+1Is this a 'paid for' Digg? Bury..
- dxk3355, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0They had that on wikipedia a bit ago but someone removed it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waffle_House&oldid=59496392#Waffle_House_operations - inkyblue2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2thanks a lot. now i am seriously craving waffle house, and the nearest one is 45 minutes away. :(
- KicktheDonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Where do you live that the nearest one is 45 mins away? Hell, there are three 10 minutes from my house. And at both interstate exits north and south of me, there are two each.
- geniusj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Maryland area? I remember that being the case when I lived there.. Just a guess.
- picaman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I live in NYC and I have no idea where the closest WH is.
But I'm convinced that if someone opened a WH in Manhattan, and staffed it with drag queens, they'd make a friggin' fortune.
- lilzaphod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Come on. Think of the fun hacking your waffle house order.
Since when did Digg have to be relevant?
Bunchapantywastes....- MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I used to try to order at waffle house in the exact lingo that they verbally call out your order. But that was a long time ago, and its all forgotten now.. :(
- MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I used to try to order at waffle house in the exact lingo that they verbally call out your order. But that was a long time ago, and its all forgotten now.. :(
- JD52, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2So this is the best Digg has to offer?
Sad- GRTWHT, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No, this is proof of the concept: http://www.digg.com/tech_news/How_to_Become_a_Digg_Top_User_without_doing_anything_shady
The OP is even referenced in the article: "Out of these five - Digg user mrbabyman would be the best one to target as a friend due to the fact that he diggs the most and is still very active on the site."
- GRTWHT, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No, this is proof of the concept: http://www.digg.com/tech_news/How_to_Become_a_Digg_Top_User_without_doing_anything_shady
- WhiskeyTango, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I'm really surprised to see so many people reacting so negatively to this story. I think it's really interesting, and fairly ingenious how they're using what's available to them, to quickly and efficiently organizing information so that multiple sources can be quickly accessed. Just because it's bacon and egg's doesn't mean the theory behind it isn't pretty cool.
- Enigme, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2If you are not american, Waffle House is a place where dying old waitresses serve you crappy "no fruit" breakfast.
- mike81890, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Chicken and Waffles
- tehjarvis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Anyone questioning the intelligence of Waffle House cooks: Two of the smartest dudes I know work at Waffle House. One of which is my best friend, the other is a computer genius and has a computer science degree...but he chooses to cook instead because it's his passion.
This scheme they use for this is surprisingly complicated, and you probably couldn't figure it out. It's much harder to learn than say, pounding on keyboard or being a moron who sterotypes. But you can do both at the same time, so you're obviously talented and full of smarts.- Karyyk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1People do what they have to do. It's always assumed that you can judge how intelligent a person is by what job they happen to have, and that's just not the case. Maybe some people will realize that when they lose their job and have to take what they can get just to scrape by...
- VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If your friend is truly a genius whose passion is cooking, and that's his choice, why is his choice to cook at WAFFLE HOUSE?
- tehjarvis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0He can't exactly work part time and go to culinary school, he has kids to support.
- VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So instead of roughing it for a while with the potential payoff of becoming a chef or owner of a classy restaurant, he's going to have a dead-end job as a diner cook for the rest of his life?
- tehjarvis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Apparantly you don't have kids, or know what it's like to support people.
He doesn't give a ***** what people think and does whatever makes him happy.
What the ***** gives you the right to sit here and challenge the lifestyle choices of people I know anyways? - VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not about what people think, it's about what's best for his family. He's made a POOR CHOICE for the future of his family.
- DiggsOnlyNeoCon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Am I the first ex-Waffle House employee to post?
As a server, the order entry process is pretty frustrating. You have to stand in a certain place and say your order in a certain way. No, you can't say "hash browns with cheese." You must say "covered."
Money was good though, and lots of free food.- geniusj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The money was good? Can you elaborate? It always seemed like the pay would be horrible there, but now you have me intrigued. I'm wondering how it compares to working at, say, Denny's.
- tehjarvis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Girl that worked with my buddy worked the weekends during the bar rush.
Drunks + Young Girl = Massive Tips.
Sometimes she'd pull in over $300 just on the weekends. That's quite a bit of cash for an 18 year old High School senior. - DiggsOnlyNeoCon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Let me clarify... money was good for a part-time job while I was in college, but only on weekend mornings. The customers don't care about you bs-ing with them and giving them a good restaurant experience. You turn tables real quick and have a lot of them. $3-5 tips add up real, real quick on Sat / Sunday mornings.
That being said, when I was going back to school, they offered me a management job... which paid $22,000 and no overtime. Managers frequently worked 7s (7 am - 7 pm). - marcduke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@DiggsOnlyNeoCon
That's strange...I started their Management Training Program about 5 years ago, and I think they were offering around $30,000-$35,000 for Restaurant Managers plus bonuses(which were pretty much guaranteed in Atlanta) and an In-house Company Stock Plan, maybe they've dropped down. The only problem was working 6 day weeks, and mostly 12 hour days - you weren't supposed to let any other employee make money drops at the bank. And you were supposed to live within 5-10 miles from the restaurant. Too much of a time investment for me. Again, this was around the Norcross area of Atlanta - where their HQ is. All and all, good company - very family oriented, with good benefits(for the level of job it was) but you basically gave your life over to them until you made it up to a Regional Manager. - DiggsOnlyNeoCon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@marcduke
This wasn't a formal offer or anything -- just mentioned in talks with the store owner. This was also a franchised store (90% sure) if that makes a difference. Maryland area, 2005. Interesting, though, to see what they told you.
- chefsam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I've been kicked out of a Denny's at 3AM, IHOP isn't open at 3AM...
but every Waffle House I've ever been to is just happy to have me!
Waffle House trumps all comers for late night/early morning drunken stomach fortification!
Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Peppered!!! - smacksy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13This is *****. I ran a Waffle House for a couple years in college and this is completely untrue. You pull the plates, put the food on the grill, and that's that. No cheats, no shortcuts...you just get good at it. The best cooks cook at the busiest times. Perhaps the methods have changed in the ten years since, but to say that there are cheats is to diminish the actual talent they acquire.
Why did I manage a WH? Because it was the best paying cooking job in the area. They started me out at 2 dollars an hour more than anywhere else I could find.
One late-night (3rd shift) I saw the waitress jump up on the dish sink, egg pan in one hand and steak knife in the other, screaming at some drunk black ***** that had thrown a ketchup pack at server. Good times.
To the guy asking about fries: There's not enough room for fryers, thus no fries.- po43292, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So which one was crazier?
- BitBucket, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Communicating with condiments. How interesting. This type of thing is what keeps me coming back to digg. A fascinating thing that I would never know about unless the community dug it up.
- blurplevtx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1This all makes sense now why it's called the Awful House!
- TheToecutter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Wow, earthshattering.
- night141, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Wow...im gonna start posting random Wal-mart and Target training manual pictures now. ***** lame.
"but..but..its interesting!!"
Get laid.- Karyyk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Blocked for being an assuming killjoy. Get bent...
- wanderingsun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2huddle house > waffle house
thicker coffee mugs AND FRIES - antitrendy17, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In case you guys wanted to know the answer to the flickr description - "I am not sure how to mark "dry" for the toast..."
You put a butter packet on the jelly packet to indicate that you need to "take out" the butter. Also right side up jelly is white. Upside down is wheat.
- My roomate is training to be a WH manager - sjuraud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The Avondale Estates Waffle House in Decatur,GA has excellent service and food. It's the original Waffle House btw. Luckily I live about 5 minutes away.
- DrNoDoze, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not sure how this is easier than just writing things down. I mean really even if it is a language barrier you could draw diagrams. If i drop a slip of paper i can pick it up and still know what the order is.
- chefsam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2why don't you go ahead and draw me a diagram of two eggs sunny, hashbrowns scattered, smothered, covered & peppered, sausage and buttered white toast?
I'm timing you. Begin.
- chefsam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2why don't you go ahead and draw me a diagram of two eggs sunny, hashbrowns scattered, smothered, covered & peppered, sausage and buttered white toast?
- GLJones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Now you've done it...broken the secret WH code. Now they have to go and change it again, at the cost of thousands of screwed up orders during the transition.
- weedancer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0waffle house is the best place EVER! Ive met some of the coolest people ever there and damn truckers have some funny stories!
And its also funny to see your drunk friend hit on two lesbians and not even remember it too!
WAFFLE HOUSE= GOOD STORIES,GOOD TIMES!!! - flippedcracker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1you can't beat waffle house at 2:30, after all the bars have closed.
- wanderingsun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1while i do love waffle house, i hate the one near me.
the second to last time i went in there, the server took a cell phone call after she took my friend's order, but before she took mine... I was .. ahem. a little under the influence, so i was more patient than usual. i waited patiently until she rolled her eyes at me and asked, "is that all you want?"
(before I ordered anything)
so, the LAST time i went, some little teenagers were hanging out there (no biggie, i used to do the same thing). A kid jumps on my seat and catapults himself into the booth directly behind me, KICKING me in the back. The staff "took care of it" but some crazy lady customer started screaming at me to drop it.
(I was laughingly saying I should sue.. wow, my back hurts, etc.)
so.. anyway, i love waffle house. just not the one ON THE BEACH ROAD IN GULF SHORES ALABAMA.
asses. - pillfred, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Having cooked many egg breakfasts it's a pretty standard layout. The thing that i find funny about cooking is that some of these people myself included, may get looks of disdain were we to apply for certain jobs, yet here we are preparing the food you put in your mouth. As far as food quality goes unless it's gourmet or from someplace where they prepare it all from scratch, its most likely microwaved, from a bag or otherwise preprocessed.
- smokeygo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Is it just me or does this seem like an overly complicated and error-prone system? TOO clever for their own good.
- imrankarim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0it's a tie between jack in the box and waffle house late at night for me.
imran karim - rewqas, on 10/19/2007, -0/+1http://dream-kitchen-makeovers.blogspot.com/
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