Welcome to the Waffle Bar!

waffle bar

When my plans for my celebrating my birthday fell through at the last minute, I decided to just have a small, intimate gathering at home.  Even still, I knew I wanted to do something unique and original.  I had just done a dessert bar at my son’s 1st birthday party last month, so I wanted to do something a little different.  And I wanted it to be on a  smaller scale, perhaps just one main item instead of a whole bunch of different foods, especially since there would be a lot less people.

I thought maybe I could do a s’mores bar.  But that would require some kind of heat source, and it would have to sit out all night. Plus, I had done the whole s’mores thing over and over already.  Then I contemplated an ice cream bar, but I was concerned that sitting ice cream would melt and get all messy.  That’s when I came up with the idea of a waffle bar!  I mean, who doesn’t love waffles.  I practically make them every Sunday for breakfast.  So this would be easy.  Similar to an ice cream bar, I could offer a number of different toppings to go with it.  I already had a Belgium waffle-maker, so all I needed to get were all the extras.  I ended  getting some fruits, different spreads (Nutella….Mmmmm!), and of course whip cream and nuts to top it all off.

waffle bar DIY Waffle Bar

Normally for parties, when it comes to the layout, I like to go all out.  I go with a theme, create coordinating banners and food labels, and have matching napkins and tableware.  But since I didn’t have time to do all that this time around, I decided to just write directly on the table (sort of).  It was easy, simple, and quick.  I used kraft paper to cover the table and once I had everything laid out, I labeled it all.  To make it a little more interesting, I wrote out “steps” at each section of the waffle bar.

DIY

For a last minute thing, it sure turned out great!  Everyone seemed to have a really good time with it.  It was interactive, fun and delicious, if I do say so myself.

DIY

119 comments

  1. I love this idea – I’m going to use it for my sons birthday breakfast this weekend!! Thanks for sharing!!

    1. Thank you Michelle! Hope it turned out great!

  2. Super, super cute! I love the whimsy yet simplicity of this idea! Well done!

    1. Thanks so much Denise!

  3. This is a really great idea. I love it when things are easy.

    I will defiantly be trying this at my next family bbq.

    1. Cool! Thanks! Hope your family loves it just as much as mine did!

  4. I LOVE THIS!!! saw it on pinterest. totally following you now X-P I’m actually considering this for my wedding. Any tips to dress it up and feed 60?

    1. Wow…thanks for the kind words! This would be so cool at a wedding!

  5. So we are blessing my daughter soon and this seems like a great idea. How did it work out with the waffles? How far in advance did you make them? And did they get soggy? We would all be coming right after church and I’m sure everyone will be ready to eat. Thanks for you time!!!

    1. Congrats on the blessing of your daughter!

      I have a waffle maker, so I mixed up some batter and made the waffles once the party started. It was for a night time party, and it was more of a dessert, so I cut them into quarters to serve. The waffles cook pretty quickly, so after 10 minutes, I had enough to serve a dozen people. Even after they sit for a while, they don’t get soggy, just a little cold.

      If you are using a waffle maker, but need a larger serving per person, my suggestion would be to make your waffles ahead of time. Even the day before, but if you do, make sure to refrigerate them. Then once you get home, re-heat them in the oven. That will keep them nice and firm and you would be serving them warm. This is what I normally do if I have leftovers from breakfast and want to re-heat them the next day. If you re-heat them in the microwave, they usually turn out a little soggy.

      Hope this helps! I’d love to hear back from you to see how it all turns out!

  6. Rissa Bruno · · Reply

    Just spotted this on Pinterest! This looks like soo much fun. I’m going to try it for my daughters 18th birth “DAY”…….an entire day (starting with breakfast) celebrating with family and friends to help us celebrate the beautiful young lady she has grown into! Hope it goes well!

    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. A happy 18th birthday t your daughter! Would love to hear back on how everything turns out!

  7. Did you have the waffles warmed or where they baked and then sitting at room temperature?

    1. I tried to serve them warm. I made batches of 3 full-size waffles then cut them in quarter. As soon as 3 were made, I placed them out to serve. So by the time the 3rd waffle was done, the first two had already cooled.

  8. […] Fotos 1, 2, 3: veronicayem.wordpress.com […]

  9. Love this idea! I am having a couple friends over for coffee tomorrow morning and I am going to offer a waffle bar. Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Thanks for the kind words Wendy! Hope it’s a hit with your friends!

  10. […] Okay, how fun would this Waffle Bar be?? […]

    1. Thanks for the feature and kind words!!

  11. […] /// “make your own” parties with kraft paper tablecloths. you could make a waffle bar, or banana pops, or fancy grilled cheese. endless possibilities. minimal cost/clean up. again, […]

    1. Thanks for the feature!

  12. We’re hosting a Chamber of Commerce networking event at our Bed & Breakfast in a few weeks. I love this idea! I could set it up on a smaller scale on a sideboard in the dining room. It would be fun & interactive and represent the “Breakfast” side of our business. Thanks for this!

    1. Thanks for stopping by! Would love to hear back on how your event turns out!

  13. Just a Note to Others: We serve waffles at our B&B and often have 20 people waiting to be fed. We put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and cover it with a dishtowel. Then we make the waffles and put them on the rack, cover with the towel and keep in a 250* oven. When we are done making all that we need, we take the towel off and let them crisp back up and they are ready to serve. Putting the towel over keeps them from drying out, but it also takes the crunch out of them. So you have to uncover for a minute or two. Works great.

    1. Thanks for the tip!

  14. I can’t wait until my sons B-day Party ….he will love this !!!!

    1. Cool Tracy! Would love to hear back about how it turns out!

  15. MIchelle · · Reply

    Going to do this for BUNCO this week. Love it

    1. Thanks Michelle! Hope it’s a hit!

  16. Jervetta Burns · · Reply

    I am having a 50th Birthday Brunch for my husband and this is going to be a perfect addition. We are having it immediately after church, so this should satisfy those who may want lunch and those who want breakfast. I really like your make day before idea too.

    Thank you so much!

    1. Thank you! Would love to hear back about how it all turns out. Happy 50th to your husband!

    1. Thanks for the feature!

  17. I am doing this for my son’s high school high school graduation celebration. He’s a foodie and loved this playful idea.

    1. Awesome! Hope it turns out great. Would love to hear back how it goes!

  18. Samantha Martinelli · · Reply

    I am so glad that I found this post! My fiance and I are hosting a Waffle Bar for Father’s Day. Our parents are meeting for the first time as well, and I know that this will be fun and interactive! Thank you so much for a wonderful idea!
    God Bless,
    Sam

    1. Glad you liked it! Hope your Father’s Day event worked out well!

  19. You could also do a Yogurt Bar for breakfast… use the waffle, then add vanilla Greek yogurt, and go from there! fun!

  20. […] have to just be for waffles} this would work with a salad bar, ice cream bar, etc! image from Veronica Yem And how else would you be able to find a party? Just follow the giant glitter arrow! image from […]

  21. […] Veronica Yem | DIY Waffle Bar […]

    1. Thanks so much for the feature!

  22. […] Welcome to the Waffle Bar!. […]

    1. Thanks for the feature!

  23. Love this idea! Actually I just love everything about this post…. been wanting to do a waffle bar, and this is what I had envisioned. Amazing job!!

    1. Wow! Thanks for the super kind words Tara. Hope you get to do a waffle bar soon. I’ve been itching to do another one!

    1. Thanks for the feature!

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  25. I love this idea! It’d be a fun alternative to brunch with friends 🙂

    1. Thank you! Yes…a very fun brunch idea!

  26. I am so glad to find this. I love this ….

    1. Thanks so much for the kinds words!

  27. I am going to use this idea for our upcomig Holiday Brunch

    1. Cool! Hope it turns out great!

  28. Linda Ham · · Reply

    I love this idea but I am having a hard time with the waffles being cold rather than hot. Doesn’t seem as if they would be that tasty cold or the toppings mixing so well cold. . . please give e some feedback. Did you use a special recipe for the waffles?

    1. Hi Linda! I have a Belgium waffle maker that makes the waffles with quarter divisions (does that make sense?), so even though I had only made one waffle, I cut it into quarters to serve 4. It was for a night time party, and it was more of a dessert, so the smaller portion worked out just fine. And the waffles cook pretty quickly anyways, so after 10 minutes, I had enough to serve a dozen people. Even after the waffles sit for a while, they don’t get soggy, just a little cold, but still crisp. I thought it worked out fine and no one seemed to mind.

      If you are using a waffle maker, but need a larger serving per person, my suggestion would be to make your waffles ahead of time. Even the day before, but if you do, make sure to refrigerate them. Then once your ready to serve, re-heat them in the oven. Just a few minutes should be good enough to make them warm. Too long, and it will make them too crunchy. Then they will be nice and warm when served. This is what I normally do if I have leftovers and want to re-heat them the next day. If you re-heat them in the microwave, they usually turn out a little soggy.

      Hope this helps!

  29. […] Photo from Veronica Yem […]

    1. Thanks for the mention! Your waffle bar looked awesome!

  30. […] via Veronica Yem […]

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    1. Thanks for the feature!

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  37. […] waffles were excellent. We had a great time. But later that day I got on Pinterest and saw this: via Suddenly, my little waffle-y get together wasn’t quite as successful as I had originally […]

  38. […] Petticoat (top left); Michelle Kim Photography/Joanna Park via Grey Likes Weddings (top right); Veronica Yem […]

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