Waffles First… and Next the World

Waffles First… and Next the World

Derrick Green of Waffles and Whatnot doesn’t think small. “At some point I said my mission statement was to go to war with the industrial food complex for the health of the country.” His mission began when he was figuring out how to create healthy food that his former wife could enjoy while undergoing chemotherapy. “I wanted to try and give her some strength and dignity.” His resulting pancake recipe became the springboard for his new business. 

Waffles and Whatnot’s concept is simple: there are myriad waffles and toppings, and there’s chicken with its proprietary handmade breadings and delicious seasonings. But there’s nothing really simple about it because this classic combination of sweet, fried, and savory comes to you with your health in mind. Green has created a menu that is allergy and special-diet friendly. Who doesn’t love a menu with a note like, “All meals include a saint waffle.” (The saint is a waffle with maple caramel “care-uh-mel” drizzle. There’s also a “sinner” waffle, of course.) Another encouraging menu fact: “All waffles available as sandwiches.” Green doesn’t care if you can’t figure out what to order—if it all looks too good to decide, he and the staff are happy to have a conversation about it, or make you the “chef’s choice.”

Green calls his business a “social enterprise.” He says, “The food is going to be good, but the conversations and connections are what’s important.” Those connections reach from the back to the front of the house—from conversing with customers to bringing on and mentoring employees that might not get a chance somewhere else. Green, a former member of the military who worked as an MP, says “I know what it’s like to have a father in prison. I know what it’s like to endure police violence, to endure racial profiling.” He hopes that “the solution to the issue of recidivism is entrepreneurship.”

That’s where his big vision comes in. While Waffles and Whatnot (lovingly referred to as WAWN) is a relatively new business finding its footing during a global pandemic, Green is looking ahead. He is marketing mixes and products based on his menu items for sale on his website. While he’s opened a brick and mortar shop in Muldoon, he is keeping his food truck to support community functions and catering. And he sees franchising as the future. “I want to create a food franchise that originated in Alaska.” He calls this big vision WAWN Ecosystem Incorporated.

Green says, “I feel a part of my purpose and job here on this planet is to spread positivity or raise the energy of the world.” And he’s ready to do the work, saying “You kinda have to put on the gloves. Sometimes it’s the kid gloves and sometimes it’s the boxing gloves.” 

To experience WAWN energy yourself and have some delicious Waffles and Whatnot, visit the shop at 500 Muldoon Road, Unit 5 Anchorage. Phone is (907) 406-4503. You can order products on their website, wafflesandwhatnot.com, and catch some more of Green’s philosophy of life on Facebook and Instagram where he posts regular videos including his popular “Monday Mindset.” This profile is part of our web series sponsored by the Alaska Small Business Development Center. Read the rest of the series.