My brother-in-law wanted to go to the Waffle House. I’ve never been to a Waffle House so I didn’t know what to expect (but my hopes weren’t high). We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the company and my brother-in-law told the chef who stopped by he needed to open a location in Seattle. This led to a conversation about how someone opens a Waffle House. You pay the money and for that the Waffle House parent company pays for the land, builds the building and sets you up to be a Waffle House. One of the requirements is the owner must work in an existing location for two years before he or she can buy the franchise. This employee of the franchise went on to explain why the two year requirement was so important, told stories about the founder of the company stopping in and cooking when the place is busy and they have monthly visits from corporate.

Now, I don’t believe the Waffle House is known as a great place to work or recommended for their recruiting practices. But based on a random comment, this man went into a whole discussion because he felt so strongly about the company.

My hunch is your company doesn’t have to overcome the mis-perceptions that the Waffle House fights. So if some random stranger said, “you should open a location in X” or “you should work with company ABC” would you have stories to share, reasons the person is right and really convey your passion for what you do or would you talk about how the economy has been tough, bury your stories because “they aren’t interesting enough” and not celebrate your company? Which should you be doing?

(NOTE: If you are ever in Medina OH, hit the Waffle House. The hash browns are incredible!)