Below is a recent letter I sent to Waffle House, Inc. in hopes that they would bring a Waffle House to Iowa. Join my quest!
Hello,
I have written before and expressed my love of Waffle House. I still love the Waffle House and enjoy whenever my travels take me to Waffle House territory. Sadly this is the only time I get to enjoy WH unless I am willing to make a two and a half hour trek to Kansas City.
While it may seem selfish to request Waffle House to consider Iowa for franchising and expansion to save me from making a road trip, I do feel that there is a certain profitability that Waffle House could enjoy in Iowa.
I only offer the following in hopes that it will help bring a Waffle House to Iowa not only for my enjoyment but for the enjoyment of the masses of Iowan’s who have never been to one a reality.
- Iowa is served by three interstates, two of which (80 and 35) are major US corridors. Des Moines is a crossroads point where these two intersect.
- Two major college towns; Iowa City and Ames reside on 80 and 35 respectively.
- Iowa has very little (if any) competition in terms of 24 hour Waffle House style restaurants. There are no Huddle Houses in the state; 1 Denny’s in Clear Lake, 2 Cracker Barrel’s (Des Moines and Davenport). IHop would be the exception as they currently have nine locations throughout the state and are planning to add seven more.
- The Iowa State Fair in August brings in record masses to Des Moines, many of which will camp at the fair or stay at various places in Des Moines
- The State of Iowa offers grants, tax credits and assistance for creating jobs within the state.
- Prime locations (as I and a few others have noted):
- Des Moines/Urbandale: Highest traffic ratio due to 80 and 35 sharing same route. Des Moines metropolitan area is the largest in Iowa and one of the fastest growing in the nation in terms of population (based on US Census growth 2000 to 2004).
- Iowa City/Coralville: University of Iowa, also on 80. US218 intersects with I80 here before turning into I380 which heads to Cedar Rapids and Waterloo
- Ames: Iowa State University, also on 35. US30 intersects I35 here
- Quad Cities: High traffic and population base, I74, I80, and I88 converge here
- Council Bluffs: I29 and I80 intersect here, large population base from Omaha.
While I certainly cannot mandate that Waffle House expands in Iowa I do want to bring the landscape as it exists today. I do enjoy Waffle House and will continue to drive/eat until one opens in Iowa.
Sincerely,
Travis Blubaugh