It is often said that nothing good happens after midnight, and this timeless adage is demonstrated by the litany of Waffle House smackdowns that go viral on social media. Footage of a wild one-on-one fight between a disgruntled patron and an employee over an unspecified grievance has circulated across social media.
The clip begins in the middle of the altercation, where the customer, who appeared to have already been knocked to the ground, springs back up and climbs atop the table of the bar countertop seating to assume the higher ground over the Waffle House cooks. However, this did not go as planned for the man, who was quickly punched by an employee and knocked back to the ground.
The employee then charged over the counter pursuing the man, diving toward him to deliver another blow. An employee walks out holding a small frying pan, which he used to smack the aggressor, while simultaneously on the phone, presumably contacting authorities. Simultaneously, the “Rocky” theme song plays over the clip with a man repeatedly saying, “Can I please get a Waffle,” while chaos ensues.
Watch the fight below:
Over the past couple of years, there has been intense speculation as to what is driving the sociological phenomenon of late-night Waffle House brawls. Some believe it is largely a post-pandemic phenomenon resulting from the strained social fabric of the COVID lockdowns. Others pointed out that such behavior has persisted for years, blaming the fights on drunk patrons and being open 24/7.
One person said during an in-depth Reddit discussion, “I cooked at a facsimile of Waffle House. 3rd shift, and it was in the same parking lot as 3 clubs. 2AM it filled with club goers and club workers. I’ve seen so many guns pulled, people pushed through plate glass windows, people stumbling in just having been maced. Even the homeless people who would camp out on the stools would vacate and wait things out in the enclosed ATM in the same parking lot. When things got crazy, we were instructed to go in the back and lock the two way door. I’d leave a grill full of food to burn and watch it all from a 4 inch black and white security monitor. $4.25 a hour…”
Another added, “The violence at Waffle House isn’t just post-pandemic. That’s how Waffle House has always been. If you were to rank late-night restaurants, it’s Denny’s and I-Hop, and then much lower down on the ladder is Waffle House. Denny’s and IHop avoid some of the issues by having high-backed booths that separate customers, and a kitchen in the back. There are still fights at those other places, but not at the same frequency. Waffle House stuffs everybody into too tight of a space and they’re often located in shittier parts of town. So by saving money, Waffle House increases the chances of conflict.”
“I’ve lived near and experienced many waffle houses in my time and the issues and shenanigans there existed way before covid. I think there likely is a relationship between the two. Something in how we interact with others in “dire” or non-ideal situations. With WH it’s that you are very drunk and you are willing to kill to receive that omelet and waffle. The other circumstances I think are similar as in with retail you can run into issues trying to return an item and in air travel pretty much everything sucks,” another person weighed in.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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