The first time I noticed Waffle House was on a road trip from Pittsburgh to Charleston WV to Gatlinburg to Nashville to Cincinnati and back to Pittsburgh 9 years ago. On that trip, I focused on indie breakfasts.
It was a FB friend who lives in Columbia NC who mentioned the hash browns that got me interested in trying Waffle House at some point. Looks like there are some in Ohio, which would probably be my closest option. It looks like there are some independent or small chain waffle houses in Detroit with waffle house as part of their name, which are waffle specialiasts and not part of the big chain.
There’s an IHOP in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I think, but it isn’t common here. I had a breakfast at an IHOP in San Mateo in 2014, and before then it would have been in the 80s with relatives near Pleasanton.
I think my last Denny’s breakfast was in 2002 near the Wisconsin Dells on my drive from Calgary to Chicago . There are Denny’s in Canada, but I haven’t been to one in 20 years. 20 years ago, Denny’s seemed expensive compared to independent greasy spoons.
That said, I do go to some breakfast chains and chain diners in Canada. Humpty’s and Smitty’s when I am in Saskatchewan or Alberta, and Sunset Grill in Ontario.
I also have a soft spot for Bob Evans when I drive to Pittsburgh, and choose Cracker Barrel over other chain options near the Interstate when I need a meal while driving past Erie.
