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Waffle House's Magic Marker System

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Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#11

Post by ryandrake »

stets wrote: post #6
jimbob45 wrote: post #3

[flagged]

C'mon. Super pretentious viewpoint to think that employees at Waffle House are illiterate enough that they can't assemble orders without symbols.

This stuff can be Googled to level-set the conversation. First search result says:

- 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level.

- 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022.

We can dig further to find more sources of data and judge how reputable they are. If those numbers are incorrect, correct them and go from there.

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#12

Post by jeppesen-io »

jimbob45 wrote: post #3

[flagged]

> likely illiteracy of their workforce

Seriously?

>teaching the workforce just 3-5 letters and using combinations of those letters would be a massive upgrade over this system.

Upgrade, how exactly? This works fast, does not require paper or pens (which run out, dry out or go missing).

See it in action - it works fast as hell

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#13

Post by lebean »

jimbob45 wrote: post #3

[flagged]

?????

Illiterate or not, with this system, you can "read" the order at a glance rather than having to read a list of items or decoding a set of symbols. That might shave a second per order.

Another point, ink in markers run out and thermal printers frequently run out of paper at inopportune times. I presume condiments are well stocked. No hunting for a new marker or fetching a new roll of receipt paper with this system.

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#14

Post by toomuchtodo »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #10
treflop wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like IHOP / Denny's in other places

These places are far more civilized than a waffle house. Waffle houses have to hire security guards to deal with the drunken foolishness that goes down inside most weekend nights (at least those sited nearish to bars). Everything in the waffle house is able to be cleaned with a hose.

One day I hope to have time to have a brief stint as a WH short order cook, and learn the art of catching a thrown chair. It’s also the only way to buy shares in the org, as they’re private but have an employee stock plan. A special slice of America; if you haven't been, highly recommend.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/waffle-hou...

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#15

Post by js2 »

wannacboatmovie wrote: post #4

Eating at a Waffle House (preferably at 1am following a night out) is a unique American cultural experience that especially those confined to the Bay Area have been denied. It's a place where those from all walks of life come together.

Anthony Bourdain, upon visiting his first Waffle House, remarked "This is better than the French Laundry":

https://youtu.be/bct8stbZafI?si=ru9hL8xH_a_75J5I

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#17

Post by happyopossum »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #10
treflop wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like IHOP / Denny's in other places

These places are far more civilized than a waffle house. Waffle houses have to hire security guards to deal with the drunken foolishness that goes down inside most weekend nights (at least those sited nearish to bars). Everything in the waffle house is able to be cleaned with a hose.

> Waffle houses have to hire security guards to deal with the drunken foolishness that goes down inside most weekend nights

As is so often true, this is highly variable based on geography and local culture, and the contention that a Denny's is more 'civilized' than a Waffle House has a lot more to do with which one's you're frequenting than it does with the restaurants themselves.

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#18

Post by frankus »

As a regular customer of the onboard dining on BC Ferries, I was always a bit mystified about how the cashier (maybe 20 m from the counter where you order) seemed to have some kind of clairvoyance regarding which type burger(s) to charge for, as they all use the same kind of wrapper.

It turns out the wrapper (that's printed with patches of stripes and crosshatches in different colo(u)rs), can be wrapped in a way that exposes a particular pattern on the outside of the finished package that indicates what's inside.

I'm sure this sort of system is used elsewhere but I've never noticed it anywhere else.

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#19

Post by zer00eyz »

jimbob45 wrote: post #3

[flagged]

It's not the workforce, though I would understand why you might think that.

It is the work. Go do a shift in a kitchen, during rush, on a Friday. The term "in the weeds" will make sudden sense. All the pressure of desk job and product will seem easy.

The system is optimized to use what you have, and can't loose. If you run out of pickles or mayo you fucked up so bad that god help you.

Re: Waffle House's Magic Marker System

#20

Post by choilive »

ryandrake wrote: post #11
stets wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

C'mon. Super pretentious viewpoint to think that employees at Waffle House are illiterate enough that they can't assemble orders without symbols.

This stuff can be Googled to level-set the conversation. First search result says: - 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. - 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022. We can dig further to find more sources of data and judge how reputable they are. If those numbers are incorrect, correct them and go from there.

What are you trying to say? That all waffle house employees are functionally illiterate? Because that is not what the data says.
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