New York State Celebrates National Waffle Day

Waffles are so big, they get TWO days in their honor. And one of them has a direct connection to New York State.

One Waffle Day began in Sweden as Våffeldagen, historically marking the beginning of spring in that Scandinavian country, and is celebrated by eating waffles on March 25th. The other Waffle Day, on August 24th, began in America and honors the anniversary of the patenting of the first U.S. waffle iron, invented by Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York.

The Waffle House chain of restaurants is open pretty much all the time, 24/7, 365, so the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) actually uses something called the "Waffle House Index" to determine the severity of hurricane damage, as it might affect the closure of businesses. Green means Waffle House is open and running at full capacity. Yellow means limited menu. Red means it’s closed, and things are very, very serious.

There are about 1,700 Waffle House locations in 25 states. The closest one to Central New York is in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, along Route 81, just outside of Scranton. Here's the Waffle House store locator.

If you're looking for local waffles, the International House of Pancakes on French Road in New Hartford is nice. Also, you could try Craylee's, Bite, Sammy's, Denny's or Nail Creek.