re: democrats waffle house strategy
waffle house raising prices sucks; here are 22 different strategies that any Democrat (yes, even you!) could use to make President Trump pay for it
covered, smothered and chunked
Waffle House is adding a $0.50/egg surcharge to cope with rising prices.
This presents a rare opening for Democrats to connect with voters we often struggle to reach through traditional means—working-class Southern and Midwestern diner goers, truckers, night-shift and service industry employees, as well as other transient Americans who rely on Waffle House for cheap, available meals at all hours.
These voters often lean conservative or disengage from politics entirely, but they’re not immune to economic frustration—and that’s where the opportunity lies.
I’ve been working on a model of electoral participation that breaks down these key organizing moments into simple, easy to understand buckets that anyone can use to start making change in their community. Here’s how they apply to Waffle House:
Lane Zero: Know Something First
Before you engage in advocacy, you need to know what you’re talking about. This means understanding the issue from multiple perspectives and outcomes:
Why egg prices are spiking (Bird flu, supply chain issues, corporate price gouging, and policy decisions + inaction).
Who is actually responsible (Trump’s policies worsening conditions for inflation, deregulation enabled price manipulation, underreported Bird Flu).
What Waffle House diners believe right now (Many voters are biased towards Republicans on the economy even when its performing badly).
Lane Zero in Motion:
We need to ensure people know what’s happening—Waffle House publicly raising prices is an opportunity, but it’s on Lane Zero organizers to ensure reach and engagement.
Start using “The Waffle House Economy” as a simple, relatable phrase that connects economic hardship to corporate profiteering and Republican policy failures to a broader and more persuadable framing.
Produce short explainer content breaking down why eggs are expensive at Waffle House—with clear, digestible messaging about how GOP defunding the government isn’t going to help inspections, etc…
Create, design, and distribute quick-reference cards for organizers with Waffle House related facts about egg prices that can be casually mentioned in conversations at bars, diners, and workplaces—using WH to anchor a broader conversation about the economic impacts of this Administration
Loudly ask the right questions—instead of arguing with trolls online, ask “Do you think Waffle House is raising prices because they want to? Or because they have no choice?” and “Who do you think is actually profiting off higher prices?”—let people connect the dots themselves.
Lane 1: Relational Advocacy in Motion
People don’t change their minds because of ads or arguments—they change because of conversations with people they trust.
“Eggflation” Talking Points for Regulars → If you frequent or can frequent Waffle Houses, you should be equipped with simple talking points that connect people’s personal frustration with larger political failures.
Cooks & Waitstaff Network → Service industry workers should be recruited as messengers—equipping servers and bartenders with the political framing to talk to their customers (and WH employees) about why they’re making less in tips and why prices are rising.
The Church-to-Diner Pipeline → Many customers attend church and then grab something to eat at Waffle House afterwards; congregants and faith leaders in these communities should be mobilized to buy gift cards to the Waffle House with small amounts on them and donate them to parishioners to help ease suffering while drawing attention to the rising prices.
Trucker & Third-Shift Organizing → Waffle Houses near popular or frequented truck stops or other hubs for transient, night-shift workers should be targeted for peer-to-peer organizing with community members actively seeking opportunities to redirect expressed agitation appropriately and with the party.
Waffle Houses as Hubs → Democrats are familiar with campaign sponsored happy hours and in-office events, moving a few community events into your nearest Waffle House would not only provide you a regular opportunity to organize in the space around the issue with “Eggflation Happy Hours” but it also puts money in the community’s pockets and puts Democrats on the ground where the impact of rising prices are being most felt.
Lane 2: Institutional Pressure in Motion
If corporations and politicians feel pressure, they move. If they don’t, they won’t. Applying positive and negative pressure to systems with this as a wedge could create leverage:
Positive Pressure for Waffle House → Democrats never block and tackle for companies, but in this moment reiterating that this price increase effects everyone and deflecting blame back where it belongs is a way of building positive business pressure by showing Democrats can organize support
Call for a Local Investigations into Bird Flu Pandemic → Pressure Democratic Attorney Generals and local wildlife officials to begin more public, robust investigations into the current Bird Flu pandemic Trump is failing to control at the same time he’s defunding key government organizations
Eggflation Congressional Hearings → Democrats in Congress should use whatever powers they have to lift up the stories from the Waffle House Economy, up to and including public hearings on food inflation, elevating voices from farmers, economists, and restaurant owners to explain how Republican policies drive higher costs with no solutions.
State-Level Minimum Wage Adjustments → Use Waffle House’s higher prices as a case for raising wages, especially for tipped staff, in states where workers are getting squeezed. Champion those in the Waffle House Economy and begin building credibility as working class defenders.
Lane 3: Community Support in Motion
If people are struggling, show up for them. Democrats need to stop trying to build power by explaining people’s hardships and instead offer whatever solutions are most useful.
Egg Price Relief Mutual Aid → Set up small-scale “Egg Banks” where low-income families can get discounted/free eggs—funded by Democratic donors, affiliated organizations, and neighbors to build solidarity and community
“Sunday Breakfast Solidarity” Events → Community organizers host free breakfasts in Waffle House-heavy areas, using egg prices as an entry point for conversations about economic justice and boosting local economies hurt by rising prices and less money for eating out or tipping robustly.
Tip Pool for Waffle House Workers → Organize progressive communities to tip Waffle House staff extra—showing direct solidarity, with either an adopted Waffle House for each area/region or a rotating series of events (see above) that directly puts money in the pockets of workers feeling the squeeze
Farmer-to-Consumer Networks → For more rural areas, work with local farmers to help set up direct-to-consumer buying networks for fresh eggs that cut out the middle man and proves Democrats can implement local solutions that shame the Government by comparison.
Corporate Price Transparency Pledge → Work with local restaurants to publicly post profit margins vs. supplier price increases, exposing which companies are gouging and which are actually struggling
Lane 4: Digital Warfare in Motion
Narratives shape reality. If you’re not controlling the conversation, you’re losing it. Democrats need to pivot to a war-like posture online that uses every opportunity to weaken Republicans:
Waffle House Digital Ad Wall → Create a geo-targeted paid media campaign around significant Waffle House locations drawing attention to the price increase and asking users to opt into an eggflation tracker for their area
Create an Eggflation Tracker → Work with volunteer researchers, trackers, web professionals and others to launch an Eggflation tracker where users can submit and verify egg prices in their neighborhoods to raise awareness of the price increases while also helping low-income Americans find cheaper eggs
In-Restaurant QR Codes – Partner with activists or progressive groups to place “Why Are Eggs So Expensive?” QR code stickers inside Waffle House bathrooms and areas that link to a short explainer video or call-to-action.
Receipt-Based Text Campaigns – Encourage customers to text a picture of their Waffle House receipt with the word ‘EGGS’ to a number to get a breakdown of why Trump’s policies led to higher food prices and a chance to get their bill paid for by the Democratic Party in their state. Numbers should be opted into the Waffle House Digital Firewall program.
Democratic Leaders Hold Waffle House Press Conferences – Have Democratic governors, senators, and reps visit a Waffle House, order breakfast, and publicly discuss inflation under Trump
Boost surrogates with followings inside the Waffle House Economy that mention or describe the eggflation situation; clip, cut, and provide content promotion for creators who are credible within relevant subcultures that validate and amplify the surcharge and its impacts on diners, communities
Eggflation Video Testimonials and User Generated Content → Solicit short-form content of Waffle House regulars, former employees, and others impacted explaining how price hikes are affecting them.
Lane 5: Deep Systems Work
If you want lasting change, you have to reshape the rules themselves. Theoretically, all actions should ladder into deeper systems work in order to build and codify advancements.
Waffle House Waitstaff & Worker Advocacy – Partner with labor unions and service worker advocacy groups to help organize and unionize workers.
Community ‘Fair Price’ Pledge for Local Businesses – Encourage Waffle House and other restaurants to publicly reject the “Trump Egg Tax” and pressure franchise owners to reach out to their elected representatives.
Voter Registration at Waffle Houses – Organizers set up “Eggflation Voting Booths” outside Waffle Houses to register people to vote against Trump’s economic policies
The point here is not to shift the entire Democratic conversation to Waffle House.
As an issue, the rising prices at one restaurant chain is not determinative. But enough of these issues, with enough of a response, is type of cacophony that creates the conditions for change. The framework above would work for Waffle House, but it also can work for any issue we’re facing so long as we’re willing to thoughtfully engage beyond internet outrage and get to work in our actual communities.
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Another day, another strategy memo.
Don’t believe people when they say there aren’t things we can do in this moment to make a difference. It’s bad advice, built on assumptions that are no longer operational. A new world is being birthed (politically) in America and what happens next depends on all of us.
Coming Soon: Buttigieg/Moore/Crockett Strategy Memos, Liberal Federalism in America Analysis, and maybe a look at Masculinity in Times of Crisis.
Stay Tuned!