Waffle House is one of those uniquely American institutions that have become iconic. The 24/7 network is not just a place where you can order a breakfast combo at 3:00 AM, but where it is known that unruly customers show up ready to throw hands (and sometimes chairs). Given its essence in late-night brawls, it's exactly the kind of backdrop that would be perfect in a fighting game like Tekken 8 – and apparently, some fans think so. Veteran Tekken manager Harada posed a question on X over the weekend about the deal with all the Waffle House requests.
Obviously, the question was posed in the days leading up to April Fool's Day, so it wouldn't be surprising if there's some prankster business going on. But now that we're steering the conversation…
"Okay, I'll ask just once about this request," Harada posted. "Why are some communities sending me requests for 'Waffle House'? Please explain the basis of the request, including the original story, history, and background. I expect an explanation from someone who knows more."
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024
"Okay, I'll ask just once about this request," Harada posted. "Why are some communities sending me requests for 'Waffle House'? Please explain the basis of the request, including the original story, history, and background. I expect an explanation from someone who knows more."
Harada followed this up with another acknowledging anyone who explained and said he understood, but continued, "The restaurant also has the trademark and rights to the restaurant, so if the restaurant chain declines my offer, it won't happen". Waffle House now has a chance to do something quite amusing here.
But that shouldn't happen before Waffle House addresses the valid concerns of its employees, some of whom have been quite about low wages and a . Workers from certain locations are and the has been relentless in demanding Waffle House to implement changes to improve working conditions. Until that is resolved, any collaboration with a fighting game will simply be in bad taste.