Old-School Waffle House Menu Options We Want Back

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Waffle House's giant yellow sign may not be quite as iconic as McDonald's golden arches, but this franchise has earned a special place in American culture. There aren't a lot of restaurants that stay open 24/7 nowadays, so Waffle House's comforting yellow glow in the night has drawn many of us in after a late night out or while driving long stretches during a road trip.

Despite its name, the chain's fame extends well beyond its big, buttery waffles. The menu always has a delicious array of breakfast foods and meats for those who want a more substantial meal. However, there are plenty of menu items that have come and gone since Waffle House first opened in 1955.

What were people from the '50s and beyond eating, and would some of those retired dishes fare well in the modern day? Read on to explore some old-school Waffle House dishes that could make a splash if the franchise brought them back.

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If you're an old-school Waffle House fan, you might have been around when the chain was serving chopped steak dinners. While the name implies that you'd receive some type of steak, a chopped steak is essentially a ground beef patty without the hamburger bun. Lots of people ordered their chopped steak with a side of eggs.

Some Waffle House fans on Reddit have shared that they were fortunate enough to visit a location that had long-term employees who knew exactly what they were talking about when they ordered a chopped steak dinner. If you'd like to try this dish but get a weird look from the waitstaff, one employee suggested ordering a double patty and politely asking the cook to smush the patties together. You'll have to ask them to withhold the bread as well.

No one knows exactly when the chopped steak dinner came and went, but those who loved it will never forget it. Unlike some other retired Waffle House menu items, it's comforting to know that diners can still get a chopped steak dinner that tastes close enough to the original — as long as they can describe what they want to the right waitstaff.

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Some people are surprised to hear that Waffle House should be included in the debate over the best casual dining burger. Plenty of Waffle House diners have mourned the loss of the Originals burger, which quietly left the menu at some point in the past decade.

For the uninitiated, the Originals burger was essentially a smash burger made with a 2-ounce beef patty. Some employees who hang out on Reddit's Waffle House threads explained to those who were upset about this loss that the decision was a purely economic move. Waffle House campaigned heavily for the Originals burger to boost sales, but its efforts weren't enough to move the product. As a result, the thin beef patties had to get thrown out because they expired faster than their thicker counterparts.

Knowing this, it's safe to say that the Originals burger likely won't make a return. In the meantime, you can always hit up a Shake Shack drive-thru for a high-quality smash burger, or make your own copycat Shackburgers at home. Waffle House still sells its larger Angus hamburger patties, too, if you're willing to compromise.

With a name like Waffle House, you might expect the chain's waffle menu to be extensive, but several flavors have been retired over the years. Strawberry waffles were removed from the menu back in 2016, and fans haven't been okay since. If you're a big strawberry waffle fan, you have to keep your eyes glued to Waffle House's social media accounts, since the chain has been known to bring back this flavor for limited stints.

In April 2025, Waffle House came out with its first new flavor since 2012: strawberry shortcake. This waffle was almost the same as the retired strawberry waffle since both include tasty bursts of strawberry flavoring in the batter. However, the strawberry shortcake stands apart due to the crunchy topping that tastes like shortcake. The waffle also gets a generous squirt of whipped cream on top. It was only available for a short amount of time, and it's too soon to tell if the brand will bring it back each spring. If Waffle House decides to make the strawberry shortcake waffle an annual tradition, fans can get their strawberry fix in the future.

Just like strawberry waffles, blueberry waffles also got the boot in 2016, and diners don't know why. While the shortcake makeover in 2025 gave strawberry waffle fans some hope, blueberry fans will just have to keep holding their breath.

Waffle House revived the blueberry waffles back in 2020 in commemoration of the brand's 65th birthday, but there's no news about an upcoming return. According to a few Reddit investigators who've chatted with Waffle House employees, both the blueberry and strawberry waffles were made with flavor nuggets instead of real fruit. A grill operator graced the thread as well to confirm the rumors. While this fact may be a bit unsettling at first if you once believed you were making a slightly healthier choice by ordering a fruity waffle, the good news is that you can replicate these waffles at home if you buy the dried flavor pellets online.

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According to the original 1955 Waffle House menu, visitors could order cream of tomato soup for only 30 cents. The bowl was served with a side of saltine crackers to add more flavor and a delightful crunch. Considering how heavy the majority of Waffle House's menu has been throughout history, this would be a refreshing option if the chain brought it back.

While Waffle House still serves chili nowadays, that's much heartier in comparison. Most people eat chili on its own as well. Tomato soup, on the other hand, is the perfect companion to sandwiches. Lots of modern diners would love the chance to dunk a grilled cheese in a comforting bowl of tomato soup. Since Waffle House has stepped up its sandwich game over the years, diners could even dip something more decadent in a bowl of tomato soup, such as a Texas cheesesteak melt or a Texas sausage melt.

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Most people satisfy their sweet tooth with a giant, buttery waffle when they visit Waffle House, but this restaurant has also served pies since it first opened in 1955. The original menu stated that diners could order a slice of baked pie or ice box pie for only 20 cents. People could even bring home an entire pie for $1.25.

Why were these old-fashioned pies so special? Waffle House used to bake its pies fresh in-house every day. While there are plenty of mom-and-pop diners that still bake pies daily, this practice was dropped by Waffle House at some point in its history. Nowadays, if you're craving a pie during your visit, you can choose between a slice of Southern pecan pie or triple chocolate pie.

According to Reddit users, some Waffle House locations serve the triple chocolate pie with a tiny plastic sign that includes the logos for both Waffle House and Sara Lee. This means that, theoretically, you could get more bang for your buck by driving to the grocery store to pick up an entire frozen Sara Lee pie. If you want to avoid an extra stop, though, another Reddit user on the same thread noted that they were able to order an entire pie from Waffle House to bring home. The only difference is that the pies come pre-sliced, so the presentation isn't as impressive. If Waffle House brought back its freshly-baked pies made in-house, perhaps there'd be a huge pie boom.

One of the most nostalgic parts of eating at a diner is having an array of condiments, spices, and napkins on your table. Ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, A.1. Sauce, and soy sauce are just a few of the many things you might find tableside, ready to customize your dish. At Waffle House, a salsa called Casa de Waffle picante sauce was once among this crowd of condiments. It was packaged and branded specifically for Waffle House, which means you can't find it elsewhere.

But like many good things, Casa de Waffle stopped being available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees have claimed on social media that this was due to supply chain issues. One Reddit user, who claimed to have been a Waffle House employee for eight years, tried to shed light on this situation since it upset so many customers. Managers supposedly had the option to order gallon-sized jugs and pour individual portions out when customers asked for some picante sauce. Both the effort and cost caused Waffle House to ditch its famous Casa de Waffle picante sauce altogether.

The only glimmer of hope in this particular cancellation is that Waffle House employees won't care if you whip out your own favorite jar of salsa in the restaurant to pour on your eggs or hash browns. If you don't have a favorite store-bought salsa yet, you can dig into our store-bought salsa showdown to see how each brand ranks.

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Another menu item retirement that disappointed a lot of diners is the Waffle House breakfast wrap lineup, which combined breakfast items such as eggs and hash browns into one delicious dish. One fan was saddened enough to create a Change.org petition urging Waffle House to restore its breakfast wraps (and the Casa de Waffle picante sauce). In their call to action, the user wrote, "Their wraps and picante sauce were not just food items on their menu; they were an experience, an explosion of taste that became a part of my daily life. But now, they're gone. And it's not just me who feels this way — many others in our community share this sentiment."

At the time of writing, the petition had generated fewer than 30 signatures, so it doesn't seem like it'll rattle Waffle House HQ any time soon. However, if you're also passionate about the loss of Waffle House's breakfast wraps, it's never too late to help the cause. While losing your favorite menu item can feel personal, Waffle House employees on Reddit claimed that this decision was likely made due to the fact that they were messy and slow to make. If you've ever been wronged by a fragile tortilla before, then you already understand that there are tons of mistakes people make when making wraps.

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If you're a big fan of having fruit with your breakfast, then you may love sinking your teeth into a giant peach waffle. According to Reddit users, this delicacy was only available in Georgia Waffle House locations, and it paid homage to the Peach State. Others were lucky enough to find it in other nearby Southern locations, such as Pensacola, Florida. While it's popped up a few times over the years, it's largely an extinct menu item today.

Based on images of the dish, it seems like Waffle House's peach waffles didn't contain giant slices of peaches. If anything like the blueberry and strawberry waffles, they likely contained little bursts of peach in each bite. For those who haven't been able to try this Waffle House creation, it's good enough to leave people still daydreaming about it online. Peach waffles may not seem as appealing as a classic blueberry or chocolate chip waffle, but if any restaurant can make a waffle flavor a national craze, it's Waffle House.

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Lots of folks are surprised to learn that Waffle House sells more T-bone steaks than any other restaurant in the world. Diners love those steaks enough for the franchise to sell over 2.1 million each year. This isn't even factoring in its other meat products, such as the beloved pork chops.

If you could hop in a time machine and visit the first Waffle House location that opened in Georgia in 1955, you could get your hands on a filet mignon for only $1.50. Not only is this price shocking, but the total cost includes a salad, Waffle House potatoes, and a toasted bun. Most people would likely raise their eyebrows at people in the '50s eating a top-notch cut of beef with a toasted bun, but we have to trust that the original restaurant knew what it was doing.

Although Waffle House doesn't serve filet mignon anymore, it's still a surprisingly good place to get affordable beef. Most diners would agree that Texas Roadhouse reigns supreme when it comes to high-quality beef at affordable prices, but Waffle House still has plenty of meaty options on offer if you're not craving any breakfast foods.

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Waffle House has flirted with salads ever since its inception, which means that all kinds of leafy greens have appeared and disappeared over the years. One surprisingly sophisticated salad that you could order back in 1955 was the pear salad with cheese.

The only other information we have about this salad today is that, like all Waffle House soups and salads at the time, it was served with saltine crackers. This means that we have no way of knowing what kind of cheese was in the salad, and if it included any other fruits or veggies. Since Waffle House originated in Georgia, this menu item could've been the controversial Southern pear salad that included lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, canned pears, mayonnaise, and a maraschino cherry. If we've cracked the case, it's easy to see why this dish isn't available anymore.

There are several more traditional salads that have been taken away from fans in recent years, as well, though. These include the garden salad and grilled chicken salad. It's safe to theorize that salads weren't profitable because the lettuce wilted quickly, and the demand was low. While it is possible to create a wholesome meal at Waffle House based on your dietary goals, it's definitely more popular for its syrupy waffles and meat-and-carbs combos than salad.

Another mysterious 1955 Waffle House menu item that's been lost to time is the waffle sandwich, which cost 50 cents. The menu describes the sandwich as being composed of baked ham and American cheese served on whole wheat bread. Without any other clues, we can only guess that this sandwich was grilled on the waffle iron to achieve a fun, crispy texture.

This sandwich doesn't exist on modern Waffle House menus, but every fan knows that the employees want you to enjoy your experience. Try going when your local restaurant isn't busy and ask if they can prepare a sandwich of your choice on the waffle iron. If you don't want to bother the employees, you can also order a bunch of ingredients and assemble your own sandwich. The most popular trend is putting eggs, breakfast meat, and hash browns between two waffle pieces.

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Cereal with milk has been a nostalgic treat for many across generations. One major difference between the cereals of yesteryear and modern breakfast cereals is that the latter are a lot sweeter and often filled with more preservatives and sweeteners compared to the basic oat or wheat cereals of the past. People from the '50s didn't get to experience the joy of Fruity Pebbles or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but this doesn't mean that their breakfasts were boring. They knew how to work with what they had by elevating other ingredients. In this case, using cream instead of milk was a simple move that took a bowl of cereal to the next level.

Waffle House wanted diners to experience this luxury, which is why it offered cream for a modest upcharge. Instead of paying 25 cents for a bowl of cereal with milk, visitors could pay 30 cents to include cream. You might be wondering what kinds of cereals were even available in the '50s. Believe it or not, some staples that are still cherished today were invented before or during this decade, such as Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and even Trix. Even without the extra sugar, adding cream to these original cereals could probably please a lot of modern palates.

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If you ever have a hankering for a hot bowl of soup, it's worth noting that Waffle House has extremely limited options. Bert's Chili is a popular year-round choice, and Walt's Soup is only available from October to April. Walt's Soup is Waffle House's rendition of a classic chicken and noodle soup, which was also featured on the original 1955 Waffle House menu.

However, in addition to cream of tomato soup, Waffle House also used to have a vegetable soup that was axed at some point in its long history. There are no official descriptions of what was included in its vegetable soup, but we can guess that it was light and comforting. Maybe it leaned toward a minestrone, or perhaps it contained only a handful of vegetables.

Although it's always wonderful to have lighter fare available at chain restaurants, Waffle House likely narrowed down its soup offerings because the majority of its customers go there for more decadent dishes. It may be hard to fit veggies into your diet when you visit Waffle House nowadays, but you always have the option to make a yummy vegetable soup at home when the mood strikes.