Couples are flocking to White Castle and Waffle House for Valentine’s Day: ‘A beacon of love’
Every February 14, these two beloved — but also widely mocked — budget fast food chains lay out the tablecloths and take reservations. Io Dodds meets the married parents, wild young lovers and small-town retirees who take the leap
Nine in 10 Americans believe we’re in a cost of living crisis. Then there’s the specter of mass layoffs or an AI financial crash.
So this Valentine's Day, why not take your squeeze out to a fast food restaurant?
You may be surprised to find you’re in good company. For years, White Castle and Waffle House have served sit-down Valentine's Day meals at many locations — and are even taking reservations.
Tablecloths are laid, festive decorations such as balloons and paper hearts are hung, and staff bring meals to your table. Guests often dress up fancy, and sometimes there’s a special menu.
Many dining chains do Valentine’s Day specials, like McDonalds’s new offer of caviar with your McNuggets. But White Castle and Waffle House — long known, and often the butt of jokes, as ultra-budget options — appear unique in offering the full sit-down experience.
"I have zero complaints," says Dan C., a 41-year-old grocery store manager in Minnesota's Twin Cities, who took his girlfriend to White Castle on Feb. 14 in 2024 (he declined to give his last name due to privacy concerns).
He’d proposed the idea every year for a decade, and finally ... she said yes. "We had a fun time and even thought about going back this year,” he told The Independent.
Waffle House, a 24-hour chain focused on hearty breakfasts and comfort food, has more than 2,000 restaurants spread mostly through the Midwest and the South. Its Valentine’s Day tradition started in 2008 after a restaurant manager in Johns Creek, Georgia noticed customers often dined there that day.
This year 218 locations will participate; you can see them all and book a table here.
For White Castle, the century-old joint — known for its tiny, square-patty “slider” burgers —that was made internationally famous by 2004 stoner movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, it goes back even further.
In 1991, according to a retrospective by Eater, two female operations leaders in Minneapolis and St. Louis hatched a plan to “share the love” by making V-Day “a little special.” The resulting media attention convinced HQ to embrace their idea.
Now 325 out of 334 White Castles are participating, with 35,000 customers expected to attend (vs 32,000 in 2025). To book, search for your local branch on OpenTable.
On social media, you’ll find rave reviews going back years. "I went [to Waffle House] last year. That night my wife got pregnant. Go at your own risk," wrote one Reddit user in 2015.
'I don't have to dress up so much'
When exactly did Dave Chegash first go to White Castle for Valentine's Day?
"I don't know, let me ask my wife," he told The Independent via phone from his home in Richmond, Michigan, just north of Detroit. Then he raised his voice. "Vick! Do you remember the first time we went?”
Dave and Vicky Ann Chegash sometimes remember things differently. Both agree that in 1969, when they were teenagers at school, Vicky stole Dave's clarinet and ran away. But Dave thinks they were strangers, whereas Vicky recalls they’d already met at band camp.
So it is with Valentine's Day at White Castle. Did they hear about it by phone from a friend who saw a newspaper ad, or did that same friend forward them an email, "kind of as a joke"?
Either way, that was "at least 10” years ago, and the retirees have spent Feb, 14 at White Castle every year since (except during Covid in 2020). This one will be the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Dave, 73, worked as an engineer in every industry from cars to ladies' underwear, while Vicky was an occupational therapist and lymphedema therapist. "And you're 21, right?" says Dave. "I wish!" exclaims Vicky. (She's 71.)
The couple have always liked White Castle: "It's an addiction!" Vicky said. "An acquired taste.”
Both of them appreciate the laid-back vibe. "It's relaxed, and I don't have to dress up so much,” Vicky noted.
Dave chimed in. "We don't normally dress up to go out to any restaurants anymore... now that we're older and retired, we just like to take it easy."
Still, they enjoy how the workers "really make a big deal out of it". They usually ask staff to take their picture, but these days they're such regulars that the owners want a photo with them.
'Like a scene from Twin Peaks'
Erin Crowley and Augustine Isbell knew nothing about the Valentine's Day tradition when they entered a Waffle House in Charleston, South Carolina after midnight on Feb. 15, 2025.
It had already been a weird night. Crowley, a 25-year-old transgender woman, said she felt increasingly unsafe in the Republican-led state and was moving cross-country to join Isbell in Portland, Oregon. Isbell, who is also trans, flew in to help her pack. By chance, Valentine's was their last day in town.
They’d met online in September 2024, when Crowley sent Isbell a photo of one of her knives (she dollects “pretty ones”), and immediately fell head over heels in love. Their first phone call lasted 20 hours.
Soon they were falling asleep and waking up together, keeping the line open all night. Isbell, a 29-year-old handyperson who uses it/its pronouns, would have Erin on its headphones while it pulled weeds or assembled furniture.
On Valentine's Day they finished packing with time to kill, and decided to wander in search of adventure. Hopping a cemetery fence after dark, they found an open grave, climbed in, and performed "nefarious activities" (which they decline to specify). "You only get so many opportunities in life to be so degenerate," says Erin, coyly.
Then, naturally, they went to Waffle House.
"It was like a beacon of love," recalled Isbell, who comes from Texas and had been "grieving" the chain’s absence out west. "I was like: 'Oh my God, this is better than I could have planned.' Like, I'm meant to do this."
The fluorescent lights had been wrapped in pink paper, lending everything a gentle glow. There were pink streamers, strings of paper hearts, and a kissing booth. The mood was tender yet unreal, like a scene from Twin Peaks (one of the pair’s favorite shows).
"It was perfect," said Isbell.
Today the couple are happy in Portland — but sadly, their nearest Waffle House is in Colorado. "We've looked," admits Isbell. "We've definitely looked."
'We enjoy silly things more than fancy things'
For White Castle diners Alex Remnique and their wife Caila, it's all about the comedy value.
"We love a bit. The two of us love a bit," says Remnique, a 35-year-old musician and non-profit worker in Brooklyn. "We enjoy doing the silly thing rather than the fancy thing. If a date idea is amusing, that's generally way more appealing than spending money for the sake of prestige or status or whatever."
Remnique had heard about Valentine's Day at White Castle years ago from an ex, and it had stuck in their head ever since. In 2023, they mentioned it to Caila — who loved the notion.
"The idea of getting a little bit fancy to go to a fast food restaurant is very enjoyable for us," says Remnique, who wore a nice fluffy coat and dangly sparkly earrings (which, they confess, may have come from Claire's Accessories).
There turned out to be many other queer couples there, and the staff "seemed very excited" by the occasion.
"It was just very cute and a lot of fun," says Remnique. "I would recommend it to a very specific type of couple. If you're not sure, I wouldn't surprise your date... but if they're like 'hell yeah', then I see no reason why not!"
The couple returned once, but haven’t made it a habit. They've moved on to other activities — like a trip to the New Jersey beach resort of Asbury Park — or, indeed, new “bits.”
"I think we're maybe looking at Olive Garden this year," Remnique muses.
'If they don't like Waffle House, get a new sweetheart'
In Georgia, it was 14 years ago when Cenate Pruitt and his wife first seated their tiny son in a high chair at a Waffle House for a Valentine's Day dinner.
Pruitt, a 46-year-old sociology professor in Decatur, outside Atlanta, points out how ubiquitous Waffle House is in southern states.
"It’s open 24/7/365, and they’re up and down all the interstates here. It’s genuinely part of the culture of the region."
Waffle House had been the couple's "go-to comfort food" for years. Before they met, they'd often dined there on road trips, late at night after concerts, or as children with their families.
Still, when they visited for Valentine’s Day in 2012, the tradition was young enough that staff had been getting calls from confused customers asking if they were really serious. There were some teenagers on group dates, and a few older couples.
“It was exceptionally charming,” says Pruitt. "Everyone was really leaning into the kind of silly idea of Waffle House as a romantic spot, but it’s also a legitimately special place for some people. There’ve been a couple of actual weddings at Waffle Houses over the years...
"It was nice to be able to do Valentines Day on a weeknight, on a budget, and without having to hire a babysitter."
The couple are still going strong, and now their son is old enough to drive. They stopped doing Valentine's Day at Waffle House long ago, though, because it got so popular that they struggled to get a reservation.
Still, Pruitt recommends it unreservedly. "If you are in the kind of relationship where your sweetheart is down to do Valentines at Waffle House, do so!" he says. "If your sweetheart isn’t down — get a new sweetheart."
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