After the big win for the Vols against Bama, Grace and I headed to our usual haunt of the Waffle House for an after-game meal.
Some photos from the big win in Neyland with Vols 24 over Bama 17.
The Waffle House is a unique experience. Their business model has many features that can offer lessons to others.
Each location is essentially the same size and layout, making it much easier for staff to work at any location. If a particular street corner is a successful location and could carry more load, rather than expand the existing building, Waffle House just builds a new location across the street.
The efficiency of the operation is well known with most stores operating 24/7 even during major weather events. What’s become known as the “Waffle House Index” relative to restoration activities from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, aka FEMA, is legendary.
Waffle House on a busy UT game night.
Grace and I sat down and watched in amazement as more than 12 staff executed a well-organized operation to get customers served and in-n-out rapidly. It’s amazing to watch.
The operation looks chaotic but a closer inspection reveals the orchestration taking place. It’s impressive, and little to no computer systems are involved. The cooks and waitstaff interact via a verbal “marking” system.
The waitstaff calls out orders in a pre-scripted code, much like a quarterback on a football team barking signals in the huddle. The cooks, while simultaneously maintaining their respective grills and waffle irons, grab a plate from shelves above their heads when a new order comes in. They then rapidly place ketchup packets, jelly cups, pickles, hash chips, and other items on the plate to “mark” the order.
This marking system is consistent across all Waffle Houses, and each cook can look at a “marked” plate and decode the order even if another cook “marked” the plate. It’s an amazing system to watch.