Viral Waffle House brawls may be good for its business model
Unsplash.com: Jon TysonAn in-depth report claims the viral brawls that break out at Waffle House locations may actually benefit the breakfast chain, rather than hurt its image.
Waffle House’s reputation precedes itself. The 24-hour breakfast chain is known throughout the US for being the go-to spot after a night of heavy drinking, serving up calorie-dense meals for hungry partiers.
However, as much as it’s touted as a perfect hangover cure, it’s also a well-known hotspot for violent behavior.
Over the past few years, a slew of videos have gone viral on social media showing brawls breaking out at Waffle House locations across the country. In December 2022, an employee famously parried a chair being thrown at her in a video that took over Twitter and TikTok, with users affectionately dubbing her the “Waffle House Avenger.”
TwitterWhile it might seem like customers would avoid Waffle House due to these incidents, the opposite seems to be the case. Since then, Waffle House has become even more culturally relevant, with the likes of American music artist Lana Del Ray spotted serving patrons at the chain in Summer 2023.
Waffle House brawls might be good for business
An in-depth report from nonprofit newsroom More Perfect Union argued that these viral scuffles may be elevating Waffle House’s reputation, essentially doing the franchise’s advertising free of charge.
According to reporter Alec Opperman, “It turns out the chain’s violent reputation isn’t just getting views. It may be actually connected to Waffle House’s wildly successful business model.”
University of Central Florida professor Ty Matejowsky pointed out that Waffle House doesn’t do much advertising at all — but notes that this leaves the chain in a “unique position” for marketing its brand.
“I would suggest that Waffle House kind of cedes their messaging authority to others in terms of what the brand actually means,” he said. “People oftentimes visit Waffle House with the expectation that, you know, they may indeed witness some of these types of occurrences firsthand.”
‘Rockstar’ Waffle House cook Gerald Greene also noted that Waffle House “benefits” from the viral fight videos, saying “it gets them a lot of free publicity online.”
However, this reputation does have some drawbacks, leaving employees to deal with violent customers — with one worker even getting fatally shot in a robbery gone wrong.
While Waffle House might be a US cultural icon, its status as a late-night eatery with a penchant for violence isn’t a great thing for workers, who are demanding better pay and more protections from its rowdy clientele.