waffle house

I love waffle house. But being real cheap when it comes to dining out I'm always trying to get the most for the lease amount of money. So over the years I've come to the conclusion that the triple order hash browns with smothered, covered, diced, peppered, and toppedis the way to get the most bang for the buck, other than pancakes. Those are the least expensive toppings except for the chili. For those who haven't committed the waffle house lingo to heart this is the breakdown.

1. smothered = onions = .25
2. covered = cheese = .30
3. chunked = ham = .50
4. topped = chili = .80
5. diced = tomatoes = .25
6. peppered = japs. = .25
7. capped = mushrooms = .65

Of course the prices vary from place to place and also the size of the servings, which is the most important thing. So you got to weigh a lot of things when ordering. Is the place crowded, is it a shift change, does the cook look friendly and in a good mood, have you made a good connection with the waitress, who controls the amount of chili. But the most important is location. Big city's are usually more stingy than small towns. Not a fact just a guideline.

So now I'm in Key West, a small expensive Island town. I have no idea how to play the variable into the equation, so I go for it. I'm just going to chalk it up as data collection, lesson learned, and just gaining experience to make a more information based judgment in the future. I'm going to enjoy what I get no matter what! After all I'm with my wife and we are enjoying ourselves.

This is what I get.

It doesn't even fill the plate! I was so shocked the pile was so small, that I took this picture. Usually its the whole plate. I told my wife no big deal, just a learning experience. Then the waitress brought another plate to us that looked like my triple order of hash browns.

I asked her what the small serving was for and she said it didn't fit on one plate!

I was flabbergasted. Then I told my wife "we are home". A moment I will never forget in my life. A real Kodak moment if there ever was a Kodak moment.

I couldn't eat it all! Which has never happened. Of course I was with my wife and we are working on portion control. Which I've equated to just being more efficient. But that's another story.

Then we got the bill. It was higher than it was suppose to be, so I asked.It turns out they triple the cost of the toppings when you order the triple. I've never seen that before. So all the others were wrong and this one is right or vice-versa. Doesn't matter because now I know what to ask next time I order the triple. A very valuable piece of information to throw into the equation. Money well spent; we had a great time; and I'm full.