School mornings are often a mix of mayhem and searching for missing shoes. So trying to get your child to eat a decent breakfast when you’re already running late usually means making something quick and easy, like waffles. If you’ve only been feasting on the frozen kind, though, it’s worth it to visit Wafels & Dinges in NYC, a business that is based on all things, well, waffles. Rossanna Figuera, the co-founder of Wafles & Dinges explains how the business came to be, what it’s like working with co-founder, business partner (and husband!) Thomas DeGeest, and what “dinges” really means — because you know that you want to find out.
So, waffles weren’t your first career, Rossanna.
Right. Before Wafels & Dinges, I was a recruiter in finance on Wall Street. I met my husband, Thomas, who is from Belgium. We were walking on the beach and at the time, I was planning to move to Brazil. He used to be a consultant for IBM, and as I was talking to him about the move, he said, “Well if you’re thinking of moving to Brazil, I can go with you. I could make a living selling waffles on the street because I’m Belgian!” I said to him, “Really? Tell me more about it.” And really, that’s where Wafels & Dinges was born, right there in the summer of 2006.
How did you get from the beach to here now?
Well, it has been a very interesting path. We had a business plan, and we were thinking about opening a store. Acquiring real estate in New York is very expensive, though, and we heard about a truck that was for sale. At the time I was really in love with trucks.
But it was also risky because we thought that Americans didn’t know what real Belgian waffles are and how they taste. They were used to pancake batter that you put in a waffle mold or the frozen kind.
That’s true.
The original truck was a lot smaller than the one we have today. It was a 1968 Chevy, and it had been used for deliveries. We saw it and we said, “Let’s do it!” Today is our 6th anniversary of the truck. And I know that because the next day, we got married! We went on our honeymoon and left the truck in the shop, and we painted it.
We started with the truck and in the first year, it started to break down. We had to tow the truck ourselves. One day coming down 7th Avenue, we lost the stick shift. I think that all of this would make a very good movie! [laughs]
We decided that we wanted to expand so today, we have 2 trucks and 5 cars. You can find the cars all throughout NYC and they’re mainly near NYC parks. Our schedule with the trucks changes but our cars are stationary. We try to go to the same places on the same days each week, so for example, on Mondays, you’ll already know where the truck will be.
What’s your role in Wafels & Dinges?
I do a lot of the strategic and financial work. We’re opening our first café which is very exciting. It’s brick and mortar and should be opening in the next 2-3 weeks. I’m going to be there and in addition work in the truck which is something that I really enjoy. It feels like going back to basics and the way it was when it was just Thomas and myself. Here is where we got the business off the ground and I wanted to reintroduce myself to that feeling again.
Was it a big adjustment going from working on Wall Street to whipping up waffles?
Not really. I think I was ready for a change. About three years ago I became a mom, and 16 months later I had my second child. It really changed my perspective. This was a great business, and it was very freeing. It was becoming very relevant to New York City, and it’s a family business. And with this business, you can play a little more. You don’t have to be so formal in your interactions. I mean, this is what I wear. You can be more creative.
I know that almost everyone reading this is wondering, “What the hell is a dinges?”
[laughs] They’re not the only ones. Dinges is a word, but it’s not a word. It means “whatchamacallit.” [laughs] We use it to describe our toppings so each of our toppings is dinges.
That’s so cool. Now that we know what “dinges” means, let’s talk about the waffles.
We have the best waffles in America! Our culinary menu includes two different kinds of waffles. The Liege waffle is soft and chewy with caramelized sugar on the inside and the Brussels waffle is light and crispy. We had a chef from Belgium come and help us perfect our recipes. Sometimes, people will send us recipes from Belgium and say, “Would you like to try my mother’s recipe?” [laughs]
You can have a waffle with any of our sweet dinges or any of our waffles with our savory creations. So you can have something like pulled pork which is very popular. For the café we have a larger savory menu with more variety. More eggs and things like that. As for our sweet toppings, the most popular one is our speculoos spread.
The ice cream we serve is made from our own recipe. It has very high-quality ingredients — the vanilla ice cream is made with Tahitian vanilla. Kids love the ice cream with cookie crumbs in it.
You mentioned that having a family business gives you flexibility, but I would imagine that it’s like having another baby.
Absolutely. As you know, having your own business means that you’re working all the time. Yes, I have help, and we always try to be home at least an hour and a half before bedtime. So we get to spend time with the kids in the morning and in the evening.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but with a waffle business, I doubt you’re serving up Eggos in the a.m.
[laughs] No! And if you try to give my kids Eggo waffles, they look at them and say, “We want Wafels & Dinges!” That was one of my child’s first words, Wafels & Dinges.
But there is so much more to our business than food. Yes, it seems like we’re in the business of selling Belgian waffles, but really our mission is to give people a really great experience. And that starts with the way you’re treated from start to finish. Of course, eating delicious waffles certainly helps!