What You Didn't Know About Waffle House's Record Label
There are some undeniable truths and strange facts about restaurants out there, like the Waffle House Index when bad weather arises. Oddly enough, the myth about the Waffle House having its own record label is also completely true. Though you might prefer to hear your latest favorite radio hit while chowing down on bacon, eggs, and hash browns, the chain is hoping you'll want to hear their songs about raisin toast, too.
It turns out that the breakfast diner has been serving up tunes alongside its dishes since the 1980s (via Food and Wine). But these tracks are not just about the chain itself, instead they focus on the food. Plus, the tracks come in a wide range of musical genres as well. You can find everything from gospel and R&B to bluegrass and rock 'n' roll (via NPR). Though the songs were originally cut to 45s and placed in the jukebox, they're still making music at WH Capital.
This is what you can hear from Waffle House's label
Waffle House's custom songs like "There are Raisins in My Toast" among others tend to get around one percent of the plays in the restaurants. People clearly like their own choice of music better. But there's still something to be said for the music. According to Shelby White, the head of Waffle Records, the music isn't supposed to be like advertisements. "So, it's not 'Waffle House, Waffle House, Waffle House' over and over again," she told NPR. "It's about our food. It's about our people. It's about the things that happen if you just sit in a Waffle House and listen to the conversations around you. We try to represent all that to some degree in the songs." They're supposed to be mood music. To us, it almost seems like an early attempt at a branded Spotify playlist.
Though the number of plays are low, White says she is content with the one percent mark. "We're not trying to get played on the radio. If anyone wants to play it, that's great, but it's all about inside the restaurant. So every time it plays one time, that's just one more time that we're extending the [Waffle House] experience," White said. So the next time you are dining in at Waffle House, check out the jukebox and give one of their originals a play. If anything, it will be entertaining.