The Carolina Panthers’ Secret Weapon: Waffle House
Players see proximity to the popular 24-hour restaurant chain of the South as a home-field advantage.
(Photo: Flickr)
By KEVIN CLARK, Wall Street Journal
The Carolina Panthers couldn’t be feeling luckier right now.
They play with Cam Newton, the league’s likely MVP, on a team that will host the NFC title game on Sunday. Their defense is one of the best in the league, they went 15-1 during the regular season and they’re just one win from a Super Bowl. And they can eat at Waffle House whenever they want.
“Oh, it’s definitely an advantage,” said Panthers defensive end Mario Addison, who is a frequent visitor to the Waffle House in Charlotte. “Country ham, four eggs-scrambled—with cheese.”
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At times, it seems like the Panthers huddle at Waffle House as often as they do on the field. Newton considers himself a regular at all times of the year, while running back Jonathan Stewart and fullback Mike Tolbert are frequent patrons during training camp.
Like In-N-Out Burger on the West Coast, Waffle House is the type of regional chain that those who grow up in the South tend to worship. Though it serves lunch and dinner, Panthers players—like most Southerners—tend to devour breakfast at all times, from a menu featuring waffles (surprise) and other breakfast staples.
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Not every NFL team has that luxury. When Panthers receiver Kevin Norwood was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft, he immediately went in search of some important information about his new hometown. He wasn’t looking at house prices or hotel rooms. He wanted to find the nearest Waffle House.
But when Norwood logged on to the restaurant’s website, he swiftly ran into a problem. “There are no Waffle Houses in the entire state of Washington,” said Norwood, who attended the University of Alabama. “All they had was Denny’s. What the heck? Where I’m from, there’s a Waffle House on every corner.” As it turned out, the closest Waffle House was in Colorado. Norwood was crestfallen.
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Netwon’s affection for Waffle House is hardly a surprise. His college-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, now Auburn’s head coach, is obsessed with the place. Former Auburn guard Reese Dismukes, now a rookie on the Panthers’ practice squad, said it’s a focal point of college life in Auburn.
Newton has celebrated wins at his local Waffle House and said two years ago that he knew the staff there “on a first-name basis”. “I order scrambled eggs, hash browns and cheese grits in one bowl with a light waffle … extremely light waffle,” Newton said.
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But he’s not the only member of the team who regularly dines out at Waffle House. Two years ago during training camp, a video emerged of Carolina fullback Mike Zordich and several teammates, including Tolbert and Stewart, singing The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” at Waffle House.
Living close to a Waffle House is about more than some home comforts, players say. For football players, the restaurant operates as something of a secret weapon. The fact it offers breakfast food 24 hours a day is crucial for NFL players, who tend to keep unusual hours, rookie guard Dismukes said. They also work out for several hours a day, which means the ability to consume a lot of calories very quickly is a must. Norwood said that on the team’s Tuesday off-days, he usually isn’t out of bed and functioning until long after most places have stopped serving breakfast. Thus, he plops down at a Waffle House.
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Most of the Panthers developed their addiction to Waffle House in college. Like most teams, Carolina has dozens of SEC and ACC alums on its roster. Defensive end Charles Johnson grew up in southern Georgia, where he was a regular visitor to “Huddle House,” another 24-hour breakfast joint. He graduated to Waffle House once he moved to a larger city.
Even those who were raised in parts of the country without a Waffle House quickly become turned on to its charms. Stewart, the team’s leading rusher, grew up in Washington and went to school at Oregon. “My family is from Georgia, so I heard stories about Waffle House,” said Stewart. Tolbert, who attended school at Coastal Carolina, is used to indoctrinating outsiders. “My wife is from California,” Tolbert said. “So when I brought her to the South, she learned to love it.”
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The convenience of 24-hour-a-day breakfast fare isn’t the only attraction of Waffle House. It’s also an economical way for players to eat.
Tre Boston, the Panthers’ safety, said when he’s back in his college town of Chapel Hill, N.C., he visits Waffle House on average about “two times a week.” Though he made over $700,000 this season, Boston says he has got his Waffle House order down to a science: “You get the All-Star Special,” he said. “But you go with the toast. Some people go with the biscuit, but if you go with the toast, you can take the bread, eggs, ham and hash browns and create a second sandwich. All of a sudden, you’ve got two meals in one. You can stretch it out.”
