#1
This evening, we were hungry. Having finished our third event at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC the previous night, five of us made the 14 hour trip in one van. The other van had a different destination - Chicago. We hit some traffic in the Raleigh-Durham area and again in the Atlanta area around 5pm.
Arriving at the Hampton Inn in Mobile, AL around 11pm, Jon, Michael and Sharkey decided to check in, clean up, and then get some 'grub' at one of the restaurants in the area. As we start out of the parking lot, it becomes noticeable that there is not alot of selection we will have. After a few minutes of driving, we we had enough of for the day, we came to the conclusion that Ruby Tuesday's was closed to all except the extremely elderly, Shoney's (aka - "Honey's") was also closed. Obviously, we were not about to have Texaco hot dogs or get back on the highway to frivalously search for more closed eating establishments.
As you have probably realized, we were left with one remaining choice... WAFFLE HOUSE!
Sharkey had no problem with this narrow selection, as WH was his obvious first and last choice. The other two had been holding out that there may be another hope to hold out for... there wasn't. So we now end up about 100 yards from our hotel after scouring the local streets for another place. As they pull into the parking lot, they can see that the joint is not very crowded (and never usually is!). Hopping out of the van, all three get the sense that every eye in the place is locked on them and their Amazing Mystery Van.
Walking in the door, they are greeted by a seemingly unhappy smile, a friendly southern "Good Evening," and a "Have a seat." Although there are many booths and tables available, the trio chooses the lonely booth attached to the counter and cooking area... as this will keep them close to the "G.L.O.W.H." (not the 'Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling,' but the 'Gorgeous Ladies Of Waffle House'). Our server, Ashley, greets us and gets our drinks. Because of the friendly tone of the three boys, the other 4 ladies (cooks and servers) follow her lead and approach the vicinity. Looking to capitilize on another fun WAFFLE HOUSE experience, the boys happily start up a conversation with the crew.
The ladies are immediatley asking questions such as "Are you from around here?" and "Where have I seen you before." Sharkey and Jon subtly suggest that Michael is from LA and might be an actor. This really fueled something!! So, now the G.L.O.W.H. are all buzzing around in excitement with the new celebrity status of the place. Sharkey fill the girls in on his love for the WH and his past experience at one of their sister locations in Atlanta, GA the previous week.
Realizing that the digital camera in the van doesn't have a disk in it, Sharkey heads out and back to the hotel to get one. He arrives back to food being served and more patrons waiting to have a meal. He brought his own WH hat to share in the excitement. As the girls seemed ready to assist us in any way possible at this point, we expressed our interest in collecting more WH server hats! These ladies obliged us without us even really asking directly. Within 10 seconds, 3 hats were laid out on the table for our enjoyment.
We showed enthusiasm and replied with "It would be great if you all could sign our hats for us!" Again, we were treated with the same cooperation as before. These girls were jumping at the chance to be a part of the Waffle House Party!
At this point, "Ashe" put an end to an earlier question of why her back was hurting... turns out her nickname is, get this... "Succubus" and it is the name for a female demon who rapes men in their sleep without their knowledge. So we were pretty glad we had already eaten at this point. Needless to say, we were having alot of fun and were still working towards the infamous WH photo. This would be our only proof to the rest of the crew that we had made more WH friends. Jon setup the camera and the girls gladly lined up behind us, even with all of the other orders and refills that were needing to be taken and filled.
After all had a few good looks at the image on the camera, which turned out great, a few email addresses were provided along with one home address and phone number!!! We told them we would email the picture and they all were delighted to be a part the production we made out of getting the picture.
Sadly, we had to leave. It had been about an hour, and our plates were empty, our goal accomplished and new friends had been made. Consideration to start getting pictures of memebers of the trio with other patrons eating was discontinued. The other thought, to get a close-up of the infamous "Alabama Mullet Monster" was also reconsidered due to the danger to our lives and the feelings of the man with the nasty haircut.
Someday, I'd like to visit the girls of WH #1165 again!
#2
After a fun night of Mardi Gras celebrating in Mobile, the three boys returned to the Hampton Inn around 2am. Michael and Sharkey dropped Jon off at the hotel and went to the Waffle House to finish off the evening.
Upon entering, the two boys realized that the "G.L.O.W." were back in full effect!!! They took their 'usual' booth and waited for more fun-filled interaction. The servers were all over at the table, swarming with the anticipation that more pictures would be taken. Unfortunately, the digital camera had been left behind, but was substituted with the vido camera. Everyone looked exactly the same, and Michael's girl Shonda made sure to put another generous serving of lipstick on for him. She spent a few minutes next to their table, pretending to be on the phone. Then, the two of them were flirting like two high-school freshman.
At this point, Jon walks in the place with two other people in tow. They both had smiles on their faces and were friendly right from the start. It seems Ryan and Kathy were looking for a place to eat while Jon was waiting in the hotel lobby for a key. So he brought them over to the WH. Ryan and Kathy both work for a TV show that produces dangerous police pursuits. (Interesting fact: Kathy's last name is "Goodenough.")
