In a nutshell, What the Waffle sells food that is fun to eat for terrific prices. Examine that shell, though, and you will discover that What the Waffle is newsworthy for numerous other reasons, too.
Although it’s a compact operation that serves only takeout food, What the Waffle which opened last summer amid widespread protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd offers an impactful interior enlivened by the work of artist Adriane McMillon.
McMillon’s skillful contributions include paintings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on one knee (echoing a famous photograph taken during the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, march); Rosa Parks waiting at a bus stop; and Muhammad Ali pierced with arrows like Renaissance depictions of St. Sebastian. McMillon also designed a large chalkboard wall, with “WAFFLE” written in glittering dimensional letters, that customers can express themselves on.
BlogsCommunityMusicArtsScreenEat & DrinkLegals
There’s no question that What the Waffle offers fun, affordable eats
Open since last summer, this community-minded King-Lincoln business dishes up everything from traditional breakfast offerings to meatball sandwiches constructed with its namesake waffles
G.A. Benton
In a nutshell, What the Waffle sells food that’s fun to eat for terrific prices. Examine that shell, though, and you’ll discover that What the Waffle is newsworthy for numerous more reasons, too.
It’s a Black female-owned business in the King-Lincoln District whose owner, Gayle Troy, champions community-minded causes and makes it a point to employ and train young women aging out of the foster care system.
Editor s Note: As part of its commitment to cover the intersection of race and business, The Dispatch will feature one Black-owned business a week throughout February. That s in addition to continued examination of the barriers faced by Black business owners.
Gayle Troy paid for her daughter’s college tuition with sweet potato muffins.
For years, Troy and her husband, Eric, would get up early in the morning and drop off her homemade treats at coffeehouses before going to their jobs.
Now, customers are coming to her.
Troy’s restaurant, What the Waffle, opened a brick-and-mortar operation on Long Street in the King-Lincoln neighborhood in the summer of 2020. Even amid the pandemic, customers flocked to the establishment to get their fill of Troy’s muffins, along with the featured menu item: buttermilk Belgian waffles.