Waffle House x Tekken?

Waffle House is a staple of American culture. Where do we go to get some simple greasy diner food after closing down the bars? The Waffle House. Where can we go to see an amateur brawl between your waitress and the drunk lady two tables away at 3am? The Waffle House. What American restaurant has some of the best memes? The Waffle House.

It goes without saying that Waffle House is a cultural icon representing the literal fighting spirit of the United States. So what better place to set as a stage in a fighting game than the Waffle House itself? Well that appears to be the exact thought of many Tekken fans.

This persistence has ultimately gained the attention of Katsuhiro Harada, Game Director and Chief Producer of Tekken. Mr. Harada recently took to X to ask fans to explain the background of the requests he's receiving regarding adding Waffle House as a stage for Tekken 8. I've provided a snapshot of a few below, but I'd encourage you to read through them for yourself. Well worth a scroll.

After receiving a flood comments describing the history of Waffle House as a modern gladiatorial arena for many drunk Americans nationwide, and sharing photos and gifs of famous brawls that have gone down there, Mr. Harada appeared receptive to fans’ appeals and thanked them for the information and explained that due to Waffle House’s trademark, it would be up to Waffle House to accept his proposal before anything could move forward.

But wait…does this mean Harada is actually going to make a proposal to Waffle House to include it as a stage in Tekken 8? Following Harada’s post, Tekken/Waffle House fans continued tagging Waffle House in their comments, begging for the diner to accept any proposal provided to it from Mr. Harada.

I never wanted to be one of those people who just regurgitate posts from Reddit or X and call it news, but this was a special circumstance where the director of one of my favorite game franchises responded to fans’ requests and seemed to be generally receptive to the idea. Will we get to see a Waffle House stage in Tekken 8? Only time will tell. But based on the above, at least we have reason to hope.