Waffle House Prices From 8 Years Ago Have People Doing a Double Take
Inflation has been high over the past eight years, but even by those standards, the increase in pricing at Waffle House is pretty wild.
April 2 2026, Published 8:01 p.m. ET
One of the major economic stories of the past few years has been inflation. Rising prices have hit consumers everywhere from the gas station to the grocery store. And, thanks to one post on Reddit, users are now particularly outraged about how much prices have soared at Waffle House.
Waffle House is a chain known for being remarkably cheap, which is why the price increases feel so galling to some. How much have the prices changed in the last eight years? Here's what a direct comparison of two menus tells us.
How much have Waffle House prices changed in the last eight years?
The post on Reddit, which has since been removed by moderators, was from user u/ErmYeahOkay, compares two menus from a Waffle House in Birmingham, Ala. The first menu, which is blue, is from 2018, and the second one is from the present. The changes in price are pretty stark, even by the standards of inflation. Some of the price increases are 50 or even 60%, outpacing inflation substantially and suggesting that Waffle House's reputation for affordability might not be entirely earned.
A large order of hash browns covered with cheese, sausage, and two scrambled eggs has risen from $7.50 to $10.50. All‑Star Special, one of the restaurant's most popular breakfast combos, costs $7.50, reduced from $9.90. In 2026, the same combination is listed at $12, down from $15.75. There are other changes too. Steak and eggs, which were the most expensive item on the menu in 2018, have been removed altogether in 2026.
The price increases are most startling for basic items like sides. Hash browns were $2.20 in 2018 and are $3.25 in 2026, which is an almost 50% increase (even if it's only a dollar price hike). These sharp increases speak to a growing divide between how rapidly prices are rising at the grocery store and how quickly restaurants are increasing prices.
Everything's getting more expensive, but that's especially true for restaurant food.
Redditors were stunned by the price increases.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the people on Reddit were fairly startled by the increase in prices.
"We will never have this again in our lives. COVID pricing really f---ed over restaurant pricing. I can’t bring myself to pay double the price for some of these when just six years ago it was half that," one person wrote.
"This is everywhere for some reason. A side of 2 pieces of bacon or sausage links is like $5 now. Obviously eating out is gonna cost more but somehow breakfast really snuck up to being as expensive as the lunch or dinner stuff now, when it used to be the cheaper option," another person added.
Restaurant dining has always been more expensive that eating at home, but that contrast just keeps getting more profound. It may seem strange to be nostalgic for prices that are just eight years old, but given how markedly different they are, it also makes a certain amount of sense.