My memories of past Waffle Shops long preceded my ever attending one. When I was child I remember sitting around our kitchen table while my mother and grandmother talked about something they referred to as “The Waffle Shop.” My grandmother would talk about cooking waffles and making children’s clothes, sweets and other items for the bazaar, while my mother would talk about waiting tables.
It was not until I completed law school and started working at a downtown law firm that I had the opportunity to actually attend a Waffle Shop. My secretary during part of this period took great satisfaction in placing Waffle Shop posters throughout the firm and in selling tickets. She was so diligent in her sales efforts that I remember on several occasions she would run out of tickets, necessitating her sending me to the church to get more.
In the earlier days of the Waffle Shop, Nashville’s three major banks and two major insurance companies had their headquarters downtown. In addition, Nashville’s three largest department stores were located downtown, many of Nashville’s lawyers were located close to the courthouse, and a contingent of medical doctors and dentists were still located downtown in the Doctors’ Building and the Bennie Dillon Building. As a result, there were many business and professional people downtown who always looked forward to attending the Waffle Shop on the first Thursday in December. In addition, since most of Nashville’s retail stores were at that time located downtown, they drew a number of housewives to town to do their Christmas shopping and many of them would include attendance at the Waffle Shop in their trip.
While, to my chagrin, there have been modifications to the menu in an effort to make it more appealing to the younger generations, the Waffle Shop remains for me not only a highlight of the Christmas season, but also a welcome bridge to the past.