If you strolled down East 13th Avenue in the last six months, you probably know about Off the Waffle’s 24-hour waffle cart that once served ravenous
University students.
However, as of December 2009, Off the Waffle has packed up its batter, toppings and waffle-makers and opened a new waffle haven in Eugene. Complete with new menu items,
Off the Waffle’s new location is expected to open this week on 2540
Willamette Street.
Along with the cart formerly located on East 13th Avenue between Patterson and Ferry streets, Off the Waffle also had a store location on 740 Van Buren St. that opened one year ago and closed after the past weekend. Off the Waffle first began at the Van Buren location when two brothers, Omer and Dave Orian, had the idea to share their love of waffle making with the public.
“Our waffles stand out,” Omer said. “They are dense and sugary. Making waffles is similar to making a human; it needs all the right things at all the right times and right angles. My brother and I had been making these delicious waffles for friends, and they were so good that we thought it was a shame to not share them with thousands of people.”
A 24-hour waffle stand operating in the midst of campus traffic by day and a hustling bar scene by night made it an ideal location to do business. Off the Waffle promised round-the-clock waffles, but it has now disappeared from the campus area.
Omer said that the cart closed down because it was too hard to operate 24 hours a day and lacked the proper facilities. The new location will offer more than the old locations, he said.
“We are expanding the menu; we are planning to throw together some salads, omelets and add to our drink selection,” Omer said. “There will be many new and exciting things at our new location on Willamette.”
With the close of the waffle stand, students craving Off the Waffle will have to travel a bit farther to get their tasty waffle fix. Omer is confident that waffle enthusiasts will make the trip to their new Willamette location.
“We want to still embrace the student community, and I think when it comes to these waffles, if you want them, you want them,” Omer said. “It doesn’t matter if you are six blocks away or on the other side of town, if you’re craving our waffles, you will go get them.”
Although Omer is hopeful that students will remain a part of Off the Waffle’s clientele, one Off the Waffle regular said he was not willing to go the distance in the name of waffles. Tyler Runyan, a bartender at Max’s Tavern on East 13th Avenue, said that he enjoyed the waffles when the stand was across the street from the bar, but he thought the absence of the waffle cart would cut student support.
“I think it’s more of an individual thing,” Runyan said. “It depends on how much you like waffles, but I know I won’t make the trip downtown. It was right across the street, and I went there all the time. I am sad they are gone. They attracted a ton of students, and I think their clientele is definitely going to change.”
Not everyone in the West University neighborhood was sad to see the waffle cart go. Cleve Warren, owner of the Copy Shop on East 13th Avenue, said he never tried the waffles from the cart, but he was pleased to see Off the Waffle leave.
“It was disruptive to have them there, and I am happy to see them leave,” Warren said. “I spend money to keep the front of my establishment clean, and their set-up with blue tarps everywhere … it just looked cluttered.”
Off the Waffle employee and University student Ben Krause said he thought the new store location will help business, but that he hoped for the cart’s return.
“I think that being in a new location, we will have a big boost in terms of mixing customers, and I think a lot of students will make the trip to Willamette, too,” Krause said. “But I  personally would hope (they) start another cart.”
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