FYLA: Waffle House Museum

[June 26, 2013]
While I am not really a Waffle House fan (*gasp* I know, blasphemous!), I was interested in checking out the official museum when I found out about the free tour as part of the «Forever Unilocal Loves Atlanta» (FYLA) series of events during the month of June 2013.
The Waffle House Museum is located in Decatur at the spot where the first Waffle House stood. I was glad that the museum had its own parking lot, but note that it is fairly small and carpooling is encouraged if you know there will be a large group of people.
* Fun Fact: The original Waffle House that was located here actually used to serve Chick-​fil-​A sandwiches!
The museum was separated into two sections: one side contained Waffle House memorabilia displayed in glass cases and shelves, while the other part (separate entrance) was a «replica» of what the inside of the original Waffle House looked like. We were provided free paper hats and copies of the original menu, and we learned all kinds of random facts about the restaurant and its history. The replica restaurant side of the museum was small and adorable — complete with plastic food and kitchen cookware and utensils so that you could «make believe» that you were a cook. People had fun with it and enjoyed the photo opportunity.
Once people had their fill of pretend cooking and exploring the replica restaurant, they went next door to check out the Waffle House memorabilia and make their own waffles. There were things like Waffle House neon lights and even a board game. A «make-​your-​own waffles» station was set up at the back of the room, where several employees helped us with the amount of batter to pour in the waffle iron and what types of toppings you can put in the waffle iron vs. sprinkling on top of the cooked waffle. I appreciated the help I got because I would have had no idea how much batter to pour or when the waffle was «ready» to remove from the iron.
Overall, the FYLA event at The Waffle House Museum deserves 3.5 stars for being a fun and unique experience. Again, I don’t really like Waffle House food in general (I have tried at least twice and was disappointed!), so perhaps I would have been more excited if I actually enjoyed their food. Most people, even myself who normally spends hours at museums, may be done taking the brief tour and looking at the memorabilia in less than an hour. Since the museum is so rarely open, I suppose it is an especially cool place for Waffle House fans or tourists visiting from out of town to visit since it is a fast and free Atlanta experience.
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