12 Items You Might Want To Skip At Waffle House
Waffle House is one of the most renowned 24-hour food spots in the United States with more than 1,900 restaurants in 25 states. The restaurant chain epitomizes comfort food. If you've ever driven through the South, you've undoubtedly seen those big iconic yellow signs, perhaps beckoning you to pull over at the next exit.
The menu at Waffle House is full of food items that melt in your mouth, but several are better left to moderation (or not ordered at all) for health reasons. You might choose to skip other menu selections simply because the quality is better at other establishments.
Knowing is half the battle, and a quick glimpse at the nutritional facts for some popular Waffle House items will arm you with the information you need. Here's 12 items you can skip at Waffle House the next time you're driving past those big yellow "beckoning" signs!
1. Cup of coffee
While Waffle House does waffles to perfection, but when it comes to coffee? Let's just say the restaurant "mails it in." Other items should be skipped for health reasons, but the coffee is better left off your order because the taste and quality aren't up to par — particularly if you love and appreciate a good cup of Joe. The flavor of Waffle House coffee doesn't measure up when compared to other restaurants, and there's also just one option. You'll get a dose of caffeine, but you won't savor the taste notes that coffee beans roasted to perfection deliver.
"Efficient" is the best word you can use to describe Waffle House coffee. It's the type of coffee that people grab so they can have some energy to power through road trips, but it isn't the type of coffee you would ever pull over for. Even with a couple of packets of sugar and cream, the taste of Waffle House coffee is only passable. It's a no-frills offering prepared with an old-school coffee pot and burner.
Your mileage may vary with the quality of coffee you receive, as well as the freshness. In a 24-hour establishment, you may end up getting coffee that has been sitting around on the pot for a while, which isn't going to tantalize anyone's taste buds. If you truly don't drink coffee for flavor, you may be okay — otherwise, skip Waffle House coffee and find a cup elsewhere.
2. Pork chop dinner
This selection should be left off your order strictly for health reasons. Pork, in general, isn't the healthiest food to order. Waffle House's pork chop dinner is no exception, due to its high calories, cholesterol, and sodium content. It's a trifecta of unhealthy ingredients that can have dangerous consequences.
The pork chop dinner has 1,005 calories and 450 calories from fat. It's a meal that has 180 milligrams of cholesterol, and 1,620 milligrams of sodium. The sodium content itself makes this meal a no-go, since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that adults should cap their sodium intake at 2,300 milligrams total each day. The pork chop nearly reaches this in a single item, not even factoring in the other negative qualities that come with a pork chop dinner.
Aside from the porkchop, the dinner comes with the choice of a bread item, plus a side of grits, hash browns, or sliced tomatoes. White or wheat toast adds another 230 or 220 calories respectively. White toast has 370 milligrams of sodium and 26 grams of carbs, while wheat toast has 330 milligrams of sodium and 22 grams of carbs. Adding grits delivers another 90 calories and 300 milligrams of sodium, while hash browns deliver 190 calories and 240 milligrams of sodium. No matter how you combine your meal, a pork chop dinner is unhealthy and best left unordered.
3. Biscuits and sausage gravy
One of Waffle House's specialties is an order of biscuits smothered in gravy. Waffle House biscuits with sausage gravy is a side item that has nearly the entire daily limit in sodium content. These biscuits and gravy sides have 1,810 milligrams of sodium, making them a nightmare for heart health. Blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack problems are already at epidemic levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with nearly half a million related deaths annually.
Excessive fat and saturated fat can lead to obesity and further heart complications. Waffle House's biscuits and gravy have 30 grams of fat and 16 grams of saturated fat. This is on top of 470 calories total, with 270 calories from fat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses 2,000 calories as a general guideline for how much adults should eat per day. Eating nearly a quarter of your calories in a single side item is a poor health precedent to follow.
Since it's a side, you are also likely to order other food items to go with your biscuits and gravy. This compounds the poor nutritional value and should be enough to give you pause as you go through your breakfast options. To top it off, the biscuits and gravy side has 44 grams of carbohydrates, which can spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling dissatisfied shortly after your meal. A bowl of plain grits or sliced tomatoes makes for a far more sensible breakfast side. Waffle House biscuits and gravy? Skip it!
4. Texas Cheesesteak Melt
Waffle House is predominantly a Southern restaurant, both in terms of style and geography. However, it doesn't stop the chain from offering its own take on the cheesesteak. This comes in the form of the Texas Cheesesteak Melt, which consists of grilled meat, cheese, peppers, and melted cheese on buttered and toasted bread. If that sounds delicious to you, it doesn't come without a toll on your health.
The Texas Cheesesteak Melt is a caloric beast, delivering 650 calories, with 360 of these calories coming from fat. The sandwich has 40 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat. This is an issue because the saturated fat content can lead to cholesterol problems.
The sandwich delivers 75 milligrams of cholesterol, in addition to 1,400 milligrams of sodium. All of these factors make the Texas Cheesesteak Melt an item to skip if you have heart issues — or if you want to potentially avoid heart problems. To top it off, the low fiber content is a bad combination for a meal that will already take some time to digest. You're likely to feel the toll of this sandwich with sluggishness and malaise long after you have eaten it.
5. Triple Chocolate Pie
Waffle House also has menu items that will satisfy your sweet tooth. The Triple Chocolate Pie reveals its excess in the name, and a quick glimpse at the nutrition facts shows why it's an item best left unordered. Even the small slice of Triple Chocolate Pie has 440 calories and 190 of these calories are from fat — that's a lot of calories for a little dessert. The small slice also has 21 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat. It has high amounts of both sodium and sugar, with 330 milligrams of sodium and 35 grams of sugar.
If you love chocolate and you love pie, you're far more likely to get the regular slice. The regular slice has a whopping 880 calories, with 380 calories from fat. This is in addition to 42 grams of fat and 14 grams of saturated fat. The cholesterol content of the regular slice is 125 milligrams, making it a poor heart health decision. You're getting double the sodium and sugar of the small slice, with 660 milligrams of sodium and 69 grams of sugar. It's also a carb monster, featuring 120 grams of carbohydrates. These nutritional facts are poor in a vacuum, but skipping the Triple Chocolate Pie is especially a no-brainer if it's a dessert to go with your dinner.
6. Breakfast hash brown bowls
Waffle House offers a variety of hash brown bowls featuring bacon, sausage, or ham. The bacon egg & cheese hash brown bowl is a combination of carbohydrates and sodium that you're better off without. This bowl combines large hash browns, slices of bacon, two scrambled eggs, and two slices of American cheese.
In total, this equals 62 grams of carbohydrates and 1,630 milligrams of sodium. It features 800 total calories, with 380 of them coming from the hash browns alone. This item is also high in cholesterol, featuring a whopping 425 milligrams of cholesterol, with 370 milligrams coming from the two eggs. For context, information from University of California San Francisco medical experts explains that people without heart disease issues should cap their daily cholesterol at 300 milligrams, and those with a history of heart disease should limit their daily cholesterol to 200 milligrams. The savory combination of these ingredients isn't worth the toll it can take on your heart and blood pressure.
Swap out the meats, and the sausage version is even worse, with 920 calories, 550 of them from fat. The sausage bowl also has 60 grams of fat and 22 grams of saturated fat. It's also poor for your heart, with 450 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,620 milligrams of sodium. The ham egg & cheese hash brown bowl blows the others out of the water in terms of sodium content, 2,110 milligrams total. This is on top of 445 milligrams of cholesterol.
7. Country ham dinner
Even people from the Northeast, west coast, or other areas add Waffle House to their bucket lists to see what country food sensibilities are all about. A country ham dinner epitomizes this but also comes with a host of potential health issues.
A Waffle House country ham dinner comes with a 5-ounce country ham, large order of hash browns, and your choice of white, wheat, raisin, Texas toast, or biscuit. You can mix and match your items, and general guidelines for the country ham dinner comes with 635 calories, 250 calories from fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, and a staggering 2,280 milligrams of sodium. However, simply switching to a biscuit brings the meal to 850 calories, 41 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, and 2,900 milligrams of sodium.
Tiptoeing to or surpassing your daily sodium limit in a single meal is never an acceptable health practice, particularly if you have existing heart or blood pressure issues. Do yourself a favor and opt for a more sensible dinner.
8. Lunch and dinner melt hashbrown bowls
If you'd rather have your cheesesteak with eggs and hash browns rather than toast, Waffle House offers the Cheesesteak Melt and Chicken Melt hash brown bowls. Eating your cheesesteak a different way doesn't do anything to make it a healthier option for your food intake. While the other bowls are morning specialties, people opt for the Cheesesteak Melt hash brown bowl when it's time to order dinner. This meal features a double serving of hash browns, strips of sliced steak, grilled onions, and slices of American cheese.
In total, the Cheesesteak Melt hash brown bowl features 625 calories, with 380 of them coming from the hash browns. It also has 280 calories from fat. Like many other menu items, the Cheesesteak Melt hash brown bowl is loaded with sodium. This includes 1,290 milligrams of sodium — 500 milligrams of sodium from the cheese, 300 milligrams from the cheesesteak, and 490 milligrams from the hash browns.
The Chicken Melt hash brown bowl is much of the same, if not worse. This bowl has grilled chicken in place of sliced steak. The Chicken Melt hash brown bowl has a total of 635 calories, with 230 calories from fat. This includes 24.5 grams of fat and 115 milligrams of cholesterol. This bowl is also higher in sodium, with 1,920 milligrams. Keep both of these bowls off your list when you're trying to watch your health.
9. The All-Star Special breakfast
The All-Star breakfast is the flagship meal of Waffle House. It gives you a combination of people's favorite breakfast items all in one combo. This breakfast special comes with your choice of two scrambled eggs and a waffle, in addition to your choice of toast or a biscuit, grits, hashbrowns, sliced tomatoes, or breakfast meat options like bacon, sausage, country ham, or city ham.
In choosing a common combination like eggs, white toast, hash browns, and bacon, your meal would have a total of 1,150 calories. This includes 550 calories from fat and 41 grams of fat. And it has 450 milligrams of cholesterol and 2,120 milligrams of sodium. These combinations can wreck your fitness regimen if you're counting calories and hoping to eat more nutrient-dense meals. It can also take a toll on your heart and blood pressure, which is dangerous long-term. You run a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes eating these types of foods since the All-Star choices mentioned deliver 112 grams of carbohydrates, which can spike your blood sugar levels. You can minimize the damage by choosing grits or sliced tomatoes, but there's no combination of options that makes the All-Star breakfast anything but unhealthy. This is a definite skip!
10. Quarter Pound Angus Hamburger
Grabbing a burger from Waffle House is a go-to move for many people who decide to eat here. The restaurant has a wide selection of burgers, including the Quarter Pound Angus burger. It offers a hefty serving of 100% beef. Red meat should only been eaten in moderation for heart health reasons, and the nutritional facts from this burger reveal why.
If you opt for the quarter-pound hamburger, you're eating 560 calories and 370 calories from fat. This also includes 41 grams of fat and 16 grams of saturated fat, with 1.5 grams of trans fat. The combination of cholesterol and sodium makes it a hard pass for your heart health. This menu item has 60 milligrams of cholesterol and 540 milligrams of sodium. Adding cheese to your burger creates an uptick in each crucial category. The quarter-pound cheeseburger has 620 calories and 410 calories from fat, along with 45 grams of fat, 18.5 grams of saturated fat, and 1 gram of trans fat. This includes 75 milligrams of cholesterol and 795 milligrams of sodium.
This menu item becomes even more unhealthy if you add side items, as most people do. Adding a large side of hash browns to your burger brings 380 more calories and 490 milligrams of sodium. Adding a soda delivers between 150 and 210 more calories depending on your selection, in addition to approximately 40 to 50 more grams of sugar. Stick to more sensible options and skip the quarter-pounder.
11. Peanut butter chip waffle
Though Waffle House is known for its breakfast waffles, plenty of people also enjoy the more dessert-oriented options. If you really like them sweet, the restaurant offers a version that features both chocolate chips and peanut butter. While it'll satisfy your sweet tooth, you'll also find that these waffles are loaded with sugar, to the point of being unhealthy.
This waffle features 45 total grams of sugar. The American Heart Association (AHA) notes that adult women should limit their sugar intake to 24 grams total per day, while men should cap their sugar intake at 36 grams of sugar. So, with the chocolate chip peanut butter waffles, you're well over your sugar limit for the entire day before even pouring any syrup.
It also comes loaded with 91 grams of carbohydrates. These carbs, along with loads of sugar, set you up for a crash during your day. It will spike your blood sugar levels and can put you at a higher risk for diabetes complications.
The waffle itself has 410 calories and 160 calories from fat. Adding both chocolate and peanut butter chips to the waffle significantly increases not only calories but every other category. Chocolate chip and peanut butter waffles have 670 total calories and 210 calories from fat. It has 32 grams of fat and 20.5 grams of saturated fat. You're also ingesting 50 milligrams of cholesterol and 965 milligrams of sodium.
12. Breakfast meats
Yes, this one is difficult to let go of, but the nutritional facts don't lie. As succulent and delicious as strips of bacon fresh off the frying pan might taste, it adds up to some perilous health consequences when eaten in excess. The sodium content of Waffle House breakfast meats alone is enough to make you look the other way.
A side of bacon has 520 milligrams of sodium, while sausage has 510 milligrams. City hams come with 740 milligrams of sodium and a serving of country ham has a staggering 1,720 milligrams of sodium. If that's not enough to make you clutch your chest, the cholesterol content is just as severe. Bacon has 30 milligrams of cholesterol, while sausage has 50 milligrams. City ham has 30 milligrams of cholesterol, and country ham delivers 95 milligrams. Taking in one-third of your daily cholesterol limit in a serving of country ham can be detrimental long-term.
Breakfast meats from Waffle House are also perilous for your health when you consider the fat content. Bacon has 100 calories from fat, along with 12 grams of fat and 4 grams of saturated fat. Sausage has 220 calories from fat, 24 grams of fat, and 8 grams of saturated fat. City ham has a lower fat content, with 25 calories from fat, 2.5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of saturated fat, but country ham has 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat. Skip the side meats at Waffle House!