Waffle Up: worth the fuss?

It's been a couple of weeks now that I've been coming across a recurring picture on my newsfeed. The picture involves a chocolate-covered waffle on a stick, and its source was a place called Waffle Up, tucked away in a corner of Banani.

I was intrigued and wondered to myself, "A waffle on a stick. Hmm… if this isn't entrepreneurial innovation, I don't know what is."

So far, Bangladeshis had only been introduced to this popular American breakfast item in fancy restaurants that poked a hole in their wallets. But this time, it has been presented to the population as a street snack.

However, unfortunately, being a Motijheel resident, my access to this seemingly delectable snack was cut off. Until one fine day, their stand showed up at my university.

I got in line immediately to get my hands on it. I could smell the butter and toasted batter, slowly taking shape in the waffle iron. My stomach started embarrassing me like a toddler in a shopping mall being denied a toy that they want, as it grumbled in protest.

Soon after, I had the warm waffle in my hands and without a second's wait, I took a bite.

You know how at times you feel like the world around you is in a perfect symphony and birds are chirping in the back? Well, this was one of those moments.

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Nutella dip hugged every square of the waffle and the chocolate shavings on top gave off a hint of bitterness, intensifying the chocolatey experience.

I tried my best to savour the experience, however, in three chomps it was gone. As I scraped the remaining Nutella off the box, I turned it around to see that it had "For Immediate Consumption" written on the back. With a smile on my face, I realised I had ended up following the instructions even without discovering what they were.

"They know their product well," I thought to myself.

Although I clearly loved the experience, I do have a few qualms.

The First would be the quantity-to-price ratio. The waffle I had was the 'Nutella Waffle on a Stick' that goes for BDT 160 a pop. I felt that this price margin was a bit too expensive for the size of the waffle the consumer was getting, and honestly, I expected the waffle to be a bit bigger in size after seeing the pictures.

I'm guessing most of their pricing was concentrated on the packaging since the box itself is of very good quality and one doesn't have to worry about getting their hands messy.

The second criticism is that the Nutella could be a tad bit thicker in consistency, I felt the batch of Nutella I got with my waffle was a bit too runny for my liking.

But all in all, if you're having a bad day and you need a pick-me-up, Waffle Up is definitely a place you should visit.