Wednesday, November 2, 2011

How to call Waffle House orders

Waffle House uses the Pull/Drop/Mark system.


On your mark-- first all sales associates are instructed to stand on the mark when they call their order..  The mark is usually is a red tile surrounded by grey tiles.  This helps insure that only one sales associate is calling an order at a time.  It also lets the grill operator know where to listen for orders being called.

Pull all your meat for the entire order.    Sales associate says PULL

1 bacon
2 Sausage
1 Chicken
1 Ribeye

The sales associate then watches as the grill operator pulls the meat to double check that the grill operator heard the call correctly

Things to know when caller your pull.
1 bacon = 3 slices
1/2 bacon = 2 slices
1 sausage = 2 sausage patty's
1/2 sausage = 1 sausage patty
1 pork chop = 2 pork chops
1/2 pork chop = 1 pork chop

If you need 3 half bacon's (six slices) you would say Pull 2 bacon (six slices) you would not say Pull 3 half bacon;  All calling is called in the simplest most organized way.

Drop the hashbrowns- Sales Associate after all the meat is pulled calls all the hashbrowns needed for the order says DROP 4 hashbrowns make 3 in a ring.   If the customer has not requested that hashbrowns have a topping or not specifically requested that they be scattered, the hashbrowns go in a ring.  In the example I used above 3 of the hashbrowns are plain.  One has either a topping  or the customer requested the hashbrowns be scattered.  Please note that you to not call toppings for hashbrowns during calling the drop.  Also you would never call DROP 4 hasbrowns make 2 scattered, always default too make X in a ring.  If a sales associate does not call the hashbrowns in a ring the assumption is the hashbrowns are scattered.

Again, the sales associate watches the grill operator as he drops the hashbrowns to confirm the grill operated has dropped the right number of hashbrowns and they are in either in a ring or scattered.

Mark the plate -  Once the sales associate has the hashbrowns squared  away.  They would call the mark.  As the sales associate calls the mark, the grill operator marks his plates with jelly packets, mayo packets, ketchup packets etc.  What packet the grill operator places on a plate  and where and which side of packet is facing up or down is the grill operator way of remembering what the order is.  What the sales associate is doing as they call the mark is saying how the meat (the pull), hasbrowns (the drop),  the eggs, the toast  go on each  plate.

Things to know

Eggs
Single = 1 egg
Order = 2 egg
Triple = 3 egg

Hashbrowns are called a  plate. As example if the customer wants two eggs with hashbrowns the sales associate would call.

Mark Order scrambled plate.

If the customer wants two eggs scrambled with grits the sales associate would call

Mark order scrambled.

Why?  All breakfast orders default to grits. 

If the customer wants two eggs scrambled with no hashbrowns or grits.  The sales associate would call.

Mark order scrambled hold the grits.

Always call your waffles last  As example.\

Bacon Quarter Cheese plate  (bacon cheeseburger with hashbrowns)
Order over medium  (two eggs over medium with grits)
Triple scrambled plate (three eggs scrambled with hashbrowns)
Waffle.

More things to know...
If customer wants lettuce tomato onions on their burger its is called deluxe.  As example.

Quarter Cheese deluxe.

And if they want hashbrowns with it?

Quarter cheese deluxe plate.

And if they want large hashbrowns

Quarter cheese deluxe double plate.

What if two people are at  a table and one wants a quarter cheese with lettuce tomatoes and onions (deluxe)  and the other wants a quarter cheese deluxe with a large hashbrowns.

Mark quarter cheese deluxe on two make one a double plate (large hashbrowns).

Hopefully this blog was helpful to you if you are just starting at Waffle House, there is very little I can find on the Internet about how to call Waffle House orders.  Or perhaps you are just curious as to how Waffle House works, it is a very antiquated system, but like music pouring off your lips, once you know the lingo.  This is by no means all there is too know about calling Waffle House orders, but it does give you the structure of how to call orders at Waffle House.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me at winking_owl@hushmail.com

Ryan Dean

70 comments:

  1. Thanks, Ryan. WH is one of my "road warrior" frequent stops for breakfast and I've always been fascinated with their system, not to mention my favorite, "scattered, smothered and burned".

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    1. Got a question about how to call an order. If someone orders steak and eggs and they want the steak medium and the eggs medium but do not want hashbrowns or grits. How would you call that?

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    3. Steak and eggs over medium hold the Grits

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    4. Pull one steak medium. Mark order medium.

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    5. Now go pour your drinks. Collect money. Clear tables. Load washer. Take food to table. In that order.

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    6. Dont forget to wipe menus and put them on the table. When it gets slow make the tea... they like it sweeeetttt...

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    7. Steak and eggs medium over medium hold the plate. 😃

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    8. Steak and eggs medium over medium hold the plate

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    9. Steak and eggs medium over medium hold the plate

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  2. This is awesome, this is helping me alot right now. But I have one question, what does scattered mean ?

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    1. Scattered means, you toss the hashbrowns on the grill freely, without the ring,,,.

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    2. How did you know that? Thanks,

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    3. Cooked Spread around on the grill!

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    4. Got a question about how to call an order. If someone orders steak and eggs and they want the steak medium and the eggs medium but do not want hashbrowns or grits. How would you call that?

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  3. Scattered means the hashbrowns are "scattered" in one spot on the grill as opposed to being put into a ring mold on the grill. I just started working at WH and I'm seriously fascinated at the ticket system. I've worked in foodservice my entire life, but I feel like such a newbie!

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  4. Thanks a ton!! Im going back to waffle house and you deff brought my mind back to where I needed it. Bookmarking this page!

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  5. How to know how many meat to pull for each order?

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    1. There is a tally box at the top of the ticket for each ticket.

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    2. Its said as. Pull one bacon . drop one hashbtoen. Mark order scramble plate . if you dont say plate you will automatically get grits on all egg plates. And if the customer woukd rsther have tomato. Its called at the end as tomato salad.

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  6. By the numbers, then.

    Pull one bacon. Drop one scattered. Mark bacon medium, order scrambled well, plate scattered smothered chunked, waffle.

    (The above should be an All-Star with hash browns with onions and ham instead of grits.)

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  7. What does "neat" mean with regards to "order scrambled cheese neat?" Obviously, scrambled cheese is scrambled eggs with cheese. No idea what the "neat" part means.

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    1. They are actually saying "wheat" not "neat". "Order scrambled cheese wheat". All egg orders are automatically served with white toast. Unless a customer requests something different. If the customer wants raisin toast they would say "Order scrambled cheese raisin". It goes on and on. "Order scrambled cheese dry wheat". which means they don't want any butter on their wheat toast, "Order scrambled cheese hold the toast" means they don't want any toast.
      It's gets tricky when there are 4 people at one table and they all order cheese eggs with different toast and different toppings in their hashbrowns.
      "Order scrambled cheese plate on 3 make two raisin scattered smothered covered and make the other dry raisin chucked and topped"
      If the sales associate says one little word wrong, the entire order can be cooked wrong. That is why there is a certain call in for every single combination of food items on the menu

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    2. They were definitely saying "neat" NOT "wheat." Wheat, I would have known instantly and would not have bothered posting on here. But in this case, it was with 1000% certainty, "neat." Any clue what that could be?

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  8. What does "neat" mean with regards to "order scrambled cheese neat?" Obviously, scrambled cheese is scrambled eggs with cheese. No idea what the "neat" part means.

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    1. Neat means place the cheese on top of eggs not throughout the eggs

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    2. Neat means place the cheese on top of eggs not throughout the eggs

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  9. I truly appreciate this blog post, I'm literally studying while I wait to start training and I want to be able to do my very best at this job. I'm 30 starting my first job so I don't want to not know what I'm doing. Thank you very much for this, I've been coming back to it numerous times in the last day and a half.

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    1. So it's been almost 9 months now. How are things working out for you? And why did you not have your first job until you were 30? And why did you choose WH?

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  10. I really appreciate this post I have my final interview Thursday and I wanna know all I can before I start. I'm a little confused but I'm sure I'll know more once training starts

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  11. I really appreciate this post I have my final interview Thursday and I wanna know all I can before I start. I'm a little confused but I'm sure I'll know more once training starts

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  12. This was so helpful. The plate thing was confusing. But now I know when to call plate. I start my first official day today, as opposed to my last four days of training. :)

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  13. What is the waffle house way to call hashbrowns in a wrap

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    1. We do not do wraps anymore. They completely took them off the menu. We dont even have the wrap stuff anymore.

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  14. What is the waffle house way to call hashbrowns in a wrap

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  15. example, "wrap bacon egg and cheese plate inside"

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  16. I have had a week of training and i cant get the whole mark thing down. I got the drop pull fine but the mark what ever and plate i am so confused. 😕

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    1. The only thing that plate refers to is that hashbrowns come with it... If you get a egg biscuit ok but if they want hashbrowns too its a egg biscuit "plate

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    2. I have my interview tomorrow .I am trying to prepare for the job .by getting a head start on on the waffle House deal .so I do really good at my job there.any advice

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  17. I have had a week of training and i cant get the whole mark thing down. I got the drop pull fine but the mark what ever and plate i am so confused. 😕

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  18. Thanks this is awesome. My only question is, do you call a drop for every order of Hash browns? For example, a single, a double, and a triple, would that be drop six?

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  19. Yes, you would say "drop six hash browns (scattered/in a ring/make 3 in a ring)"

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  20. The only thing is you're wrong about pulling 3 half bacon - you would not pull 2 bacon if you had 3 half's. You would pull 3 halfs. It is still 6 strips either way, but the way you pull them matters. If you had 3 bacon cheeseburgers, each should get 2 strips of bacon, if you pull 2 bacon the grill op will be wondering why you've got 3 bacon cheeseburgers marked and no half bacons called.

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    1. I just stared and you do add the bacon together and say drop 2 bacon not 3 half at least that's what they taught me

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  21. I'm trying to study the menu and help my fiancé understand how it all works as a cook....but I don't know anything either, he just started at WH and the lingo is the hard part. Is there a strategy you personally used in order to remember everything?

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  22. I took my red story yesterday and it was pretty easy what you really need to know if your 10 and 5 priorities. Also how to write tickets and they will provide a menu so you can price them correctly. You will need to know about cross-contamination and the order to go about a situation which you always greet a new customer first before anything.

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  23. Tell me more tips... I just started the training and I am struggling with this system call.

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  24. I just filled out an application there waiting on my back ground check to come back. I work at Bojangles. If hired just trying to stay one step of the game.

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  25. I had a week of training and still can't get the call out system.

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    1. You call all likes before decaring the differeces example if you need a bacon egg and cheese sandwich and a ham egg and cheese sandwich call would be pull one bacon one ham
      Mark egg and cheese sandwich on 2 make one bacon the other is ham

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  26. Good morning, please tell us more about marking the plates and calling orders. I really need it, because I'm about to quit.

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  27. So i just started working at the waffle house and i must say we have a unique way in calling orders into cooks. As soon as I think I have it down pat - I mess up & my manager lets me know about it lol...
    I am confused on the phrase "out like one" as well as when you have a single order of hash browns with a big ticket. My manager always has to remind me I have to let them know what to do with the order of hash browns!! Im like obciously if they go in with a meal - I would make it a plate. Can someone help me with this please??!! So many more questions!! I really wanna make this job work!!! I like my co workers & the way we stay busy. Time flies... Thanks in advance. - Amber

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  28. I got hired at a Waffle House and got fired on my second day of training because I couldn't memorize ANYTHING AT ALL! There was just too much for me to learn in too little time! Kudos to all Waffle House employees!

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  29. Thanks for sharing such beautiful information with us. I hope you will share some more information about meat delivery app development. Please keep sharing.

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  30. Hello! Thanks for the helpful information! I just started working at Waffle House and I'm having a hard time with the calling system. How would you call a sausage hashbrown bowl? When do you/when do you not say 'plate'?

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  31. Thank you so much I'll be starting at Waffle House on Monday and I'm trying to take notes that will help me thank you again

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  32. How do you call a double or triple hasbrown? Or a hashbrown bowl?

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  33. How to call a TxBECM? And the hashbrown bowls? Damn confusing

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  34. How do you call a TxBECM? Hashbrown bowls? damn confusing

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    1. Pull 1 bacon
      Mark tx bacon egg cheese melt



      And the bowl the pull is gonna b the meat I’m gonna say the pull is cheesesteak pull 1 cheesesteak then the drop 2 hashbrowns mark cheesesteak hashbrown bowl

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  35. Tomorrow is my first day at the Waffle House and I would like to get a jump start on placing orders. I think this may help.

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  36. great advice. I start my first training day tomorrow.

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