Waffle House Is Testing Tacos, and Customers Have Opinions

Waffle House has built its legacy on some basic menu staples. Waffles, eggs, hash browns, burgers, sandwiches, and fries are popular options in each of the chain’s more than 2,100 restaurants. That simplicity is partially responsible for the shockwaves that Waffle House recently made when it announced that it would be adding a new item to the menu in select restaurants. Tacos are coming to Waffle House.

The company has introduced seven taco varieties at about 45 restaurants in the Atlanta area as part of a limited-time menu test. The offerings range from breakfast combinations with eggs and cheese to tacos inspired by some of Waffle House's better-known lunch and dinner dishes. The decision has already led to plenty of conversation online, with some customers praising the Waffle House Tacos while others worry that the Waffle House menu test might mean that the company is straying away from what made it a cult classic.

Waffle House Is Taking Tacos in Several Directions

The Waffle House new menu isn’t just about adding a single type of taco to all of its 2,100-plus restaurants. Waffle House is testing seven types of tacos. Four are breakfast tacos featuring egg and cheese along with a choice of bacon, sausage, chicken sausage or ham. Three additional options take inspiration from the chain's lunch and dinner menu: cheesesteak melt, chicken melt and patty melt tacos.

In true Waffle House fashion, customers can order any of the seven tacos at any time of day. That means a customer visiting during breakfast hours could order a patty melt taco, while someone stopping in late at night could opt for a bacon, egg, and cheese taco.

The Test Is Limited to the Atlanta Area

At least for the time being, every Waffle House customer won’t be able to participate in the Waffle House menu test. Unless you’re in the Atlanta area, you won’t be able to grab a breakfast taco at 2:30 a.m. The company is testing them at roughly 45 locations around metropolitan Atlanta, including restaurants in communities such as Alpharetta, Buford, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Norcross, Roswell and Sandy Springs.

The location isn’t exactly surprising. Waffle House is based in Atlanta, making the area a natural choice for the company’s new product tests. Limited geographic testing also allows a restaurant chain to collect customer feedback without committing to a nationwide rollout. A spokesperson from Waffle House was quoted as saying that the brand “is always looking to test new menu items,” and promised that the “tacos are delicious.”

Early Feedback Has Been Positive, But Not Universal

According to Waffle House, the feedback has been positive. While Waffle House tacos have only been available for about a week, customers appear to be pleased with the option. However, customer responses online have been a bit more divided. Some customers immediately embraced the idea. One Instagram commenter described the tacos enthusiastically, while another simply argued that tacos are good regardless of the time of day. Others were far less convinced, with one person responding, "That's an absolute no."

For what it’s worth, most of the ingredients aren’t exactly new to the Waffle House menu. Outside of the tortilla, all of the fillings in the taco are already on the Waffle House menu. That fact serves as a good reminder that Waffle House isn’t trying to become a Mexican restaurant or rebrand itself. Instead, the brand is looking for ways to incorporate items that it already sells into more menu options.

Still, there are some loyal Waffle House customers who view the change to the menu as a potential downfall. One customer, claiming to have more than two decades of commercial kitchen experience, said that restaurants that try to add items can make things more complicated and get away from what made them special.

Those criticisms bring a practical question to the forefront. How much variety is actually useful? Adding a new menu item can give customers another reason to visit, but it can also mean additional ingredients, preparation steps, training, and kitchen complexity. For a restaurant famous for an efficient, highly recognizable menu, those considerations could matter just as much as whether customers like the taste.

A Taco Could Tell Waffle House More Than You'd Think

On the surface, the Waffle House menu test might just be a quirky experiment that has grabbed some headlines. However, if things go well, it could be the next chapter in the story of a brand that has become iconic.

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