Lines have stretched out of this new restaurant for more than a week. What’s the story?
The owners of The Waffle Bus in Derby tried to do what almost all restaurants do when they first open their doors: put on a quiet soft opening that’s not advertised but that will let new employees practice on a slow stream of curious customers.
But it didn’t quite work out like that, says Phi Nguyen, the founder of the concept, who opened the doors to its first non-Texas store on Monday, Dec. 2.
Before the “open” sign was even turned on, customers were lined up and waiting to get in the restaurant at 1301 N. Rock Road. And every day since, that line has stretched out the door and around the building, Nguyen said.
“All these new staff that we’re training just got thrown into the fire,” said Houston-based Nguyen, who has been in Derby helping local owner Cang Phu get the restaurant up and running.
Nguyen isn’t complaining: He’s thrilled that the restaurant has been such a hit in Derby. And he expected the pandemonium. When Nguyen, who started The Waffle Bus as a food truck in Houston in 2012, opened his first brick-and-mortar store there, the lines were also crazy long. He now has two brick-and-mortar restaurants in Houston and another one planned for Cypress, Texas.
“It’s something new to the area,” Nguyen said of the Derby shop. “Cang built a beautiful new restaurant.”
As those who pass by can see, The Waffle Bus is not a bus. But it got its name from its food truck roots. Nguyen’s truck, which specialized in things like sweet waffle sandwiches, smash burgers, wings and cereal milkshakes, caused a stir when it opened in Houston, and his unique concept has since then caught the attention of national food television producers. The Waffle Bus has been featured on Food Network shows like “Eat Street” and on the Cooking Channel’s “Food Truck Face Off.”
Nguyen and Phu are old friends, having met years ago through Nguyen’s ex-girlfriend’s cousin. Derby-based Phu is a co-owner of The Waffle Bus concept, and he had a piece of property in Derby where he wanted to build the first location of The Waffle Bus with a drive-through.
Only one thing: The drive through isn’t open yet. The scene is chaotic enough without adding a long line of cars to the situation, Nguyen said. It’ll open eventually, he said, “but not anytime soon.”
The new restaurant’s building has a modern design with red tiles on the exterior and a dining room that has about 19 tables. The inside also features a wall of 15 television screens.
So far, Nguyen said, the best sellers have been The MacDaddy hot chicken sandwich topped white cheddar mac and cheese. People also are ordering the chicken and waffle sandwich and the Fruity Pebbles milkshake. (See the full menu here.)
Customers, who are traveling to Derby from Wichita and other nearby towns, are waiting to get to the front of the line anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, Nguyen said. But once they order their food, they get it within five to 10 minutes.
He said the long line is likely being caused by a combination of factors: The demand is so high, and the employees are still learning their jobs.
“We’re able to get the food out in a timely manner,” he said. “We could always go faster. We’re still training, also, but it’s getting better every day.”
The Waffle Bus in Derby is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
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