Yesterday, when Scene reporter Amanda Haggard admitted she liked her Waffle House hash browns scattered — just scattered — Steve Cavendish, editor and orderer of smothered, chunked and diced (which sounds like the description of a crime scene), balked. "YOU WHAT?" he cried out. An office-wide discussion broke out as others jumped in to declare their love for their favorite preparation. It was a passionate argument, one with no wrong answers but plenty of opinions.
You're probably thinking of your favorite hash brown combo right now, too. Pretty much anyone who's been to Waffle House more than once or twice has a favorite hash brown order. Scattered, smothered and covered. Scattered, diced and peppered. Or, for the really hungry, all the way, with everything piled on top. (I'm with Haggard, by the way — just scattered or just smothered, but never anything more ... I don't like the way the cheese congeals.)
The catchy ordering method has been around since the ’80s, helping Waffle House stand out from similar diners like Denny's, IHOP and Cracker Barrel, but or those who are unfamiliar with the menu, here's how the code words break down:
- Scattered: Plain
- Smothered: Topped with sautéed onions
- Covered: Topped with melted cheese
- Chunked: Topped with ham
- Diced: Topped with grilled tomatoes
- Peppered: Topped with jalapeños
- Capped: Topped with mushrooms
- Topped: Topped with chili
- Country: Topped with sausage gravy
- All the Way: Topped with everything
There's also talk of a secret menu, or sorts, with options that include the Double Ds which is two hash browns topped with two fried eggs. ("Heh heh, like boobs," says the Beavis voice in the back of my head.)
So, now that we've already had this deep discussion about shredded and fried potatoes, we wanna know where you stand. How do you like your Waffle House hash browns?
