Shadowing Practice: I Tried American Diners After Midnight - Learn English Speaking with Video

Evening!

I am in Houston, Texas in a Walmart car park.

Why am I in a Walmart car park?

Let me explain.

I've just landed into Houston Airport, picked up the rental car, and I need to drive all the way to New Orleans in Louisiana.

And on the way, I am going to be trying American diners, specifically in the middle of the night.

I have never done this drive before in my life.

I have no idea what we're going to come across.

What are the people going to be like we meet?

Is it going to be sketchy?

This probably isn't the best idea, but it could be a great idea.

So let's get in the car, let's get to New Orleans, and let's see where we go first.

I've got a feeling this is going to be a long night.

We're off.

We need to get out of this car park, and let's see where the first place we're going to go to is.

Right, our first stop in Houston, Texas is called Dots Coffee Shop.

Oh, sorry.

You're fine.

How are you?

You well?

Good, good.

Thank you.

What's this place like?

I've never been here before.

It's kind of like a Denny's.

Like a Denny's, is it?

Yeah.

Ah, okay.

Yeah.

I'll try it.

Nice to meet you.

Have a good one.

I can't say I've ever been to Denny's, but I think they'll have to take it off on this trip.

So, this is what we're dealing with.

Dot's Coffee Shop, open 24 hours.

Put the cherry on top of your summer with a banana split.

The time is currently half past midnight.

Is it too late for a banana split?

Let's have a look what's in here.

Is it good in here?

I've never been in here before.

Oh my God.

Where are you from? From Wales.

How about you?

You like chicken fried steak?

Houston born and raised.

I love it.

Well, this is my first time to this place.

I've never been here in my life.

You gotta try the waffles.

The waffles?

I was just reading about the banana split.

I'm like, do I do the banana split or?

They're chicken fried steaks, which they're famous for.

Chicken fried steak?

It is a little tough though.

It's fried.

Really?

You know we love gravy.

I know we're in Americans.

We got to find gravy weird, but we love gravy.

What are you guys coming in here for?

Waffles.

Even past midnight.

Oh yeah.

I'm gonna get a chicken fried steak for breakfast.

Do you know what?

I might have to get one myself.

They have a breakfast version because right now they don't have the dinner sites.

Where else are you going in Houston?

I've just landed into Houston.

I'm actually driving over to New Orleans.

But I've never done this drive before.

How many days are you going to be in Houston?

Literally just today and then I'm driving out.

I thought it was going to be dead after midnight and there's loads of people coming in.

No, it's empty right now.

It's empty right now.

There's usually people here where you need to be.

Oh, really?

So there's normally a queue to this place?

No, there's usually a 45 minute wait.

No way.

Are you sure?

Thanks so much, man.

Hey, how's it going?

You good?

It's my first time here.

Apparently the chicken steak's amazing.

Would you say that's the one to get?

Yes, sir.

Okay, awesome.

Can I get a table for one, please?

Thanks so much, man.

Mate, is it normally this busy after midnight?

No, this isn't busy at all right now.

I thought it was going to be dead.

100

I've never heard of Dot's Diners.

101

Is there just one or is it a chain?

102

There's a chain, but I think right now in Houston there's only one.

103

There's only one.

104

Awesome.

105

Thanks so much, man.

106

I appreciate it.

107

You're taking a drink.

108

Yeah, can I get a coffee?

109

I think I'm going to need it for my drive.

110

Is there a regular coffee?

111

Yeah, just regular black coffee.

112

Awesome.

113

Thanks so much, man.

114

I don't know what I expected, but for the first stop, everybody's super friendly.

115

I tell you what, though.

116

Waffles are a chicken steak after midnight.

117

It's going to be a long night, this.

118

I don't know what to go for.

119

we've got Dot's original breakfast, signature breakfast, pancakes, giant omelettes, waffles I tell you what though, let's not forget about the banana split

120

Can't have a banana splitter this time I think I'm going to go for Dot waffle Let's give it a go

121

First coffee of the night,

122

cheers It's not bad, good coffee that Dot Do you get people all through the night stopping to order all this?

123

Especially for weekends Really?

124

What, just ordering chicken steaks at three in the morning?

125

Steaks, our types of food, yeah.

126

Mate, that's crazy.

127

Do you know what?

128

I've got a long night ahead, so let's start off with a dot waffle, if that's all right.

129

Cheers, mate.

130

Thank you.

131

I tell you what, it does not feel like half twelve in this diner.

132

I can literally count about ten workers.

133

There's three chefs in the kitchen, and there's about six tables taken.

134

Honestly, if you shut the curtains, you'd think it was midday.

135

Right, let's see how good these waffles are.

136

It's crazy.

137

There's more people coming in here.

138

There is literally a Q forming at the door.

139

Awesome, thanks so much.

140

What have we got here then, man?

141

So we got the syrup, it's usually warm, so warm syrup.

142

And then we got the powdered sugar and the butter.

143

Powder sugar and the butter, perfect.

144

What time are you working till then, mate?

145

Are you on all night?

146

Yeah, I work at a swing shift, that's what they call it.

147

So I work from 6pm to either 3 or 4 in the morning.

148

Or I can go on, like if it's busy, I stay till maybe 6 in the morning.

149

Really?

150

What, and it gets that busier?

151

3 or 4am? am yeah

152

so this is 24 hours then yeah it's at 24 hours

153

yeah seven days a week seven days a week never shut

154

never shut man that's insane is this one specific to houston

155

or like who's dot oh yeah there's a there's an owner yeah

156

so yeah this was the first uh papa's brand

157

so it's like the first let's say actual uh ah

158

so this is the first ever dot yeah like the okay yeah

159

so they have papa's barbecue that's like next door

160

so there's different types of chains you know

161

but this is the first of the first yeah oh it's

162

amazing well i look forward to the waffle yes lario you're the man thanks

163

so much man here we go waffles at 1am in the

164

morning just how i like it doesn't get more unhealthy than

165

this does it there we go we'll make it more unhealthy i think that'll do powder sugar

166

right let's see what this waffle is like tell you what

167

there's some vibe in here for 1am how are you You're welcome mate, you well?

168

That's actually really good.

169

Hilario, good job mate.

170

Really good, thanks man.

171

I think I need to save room for the next diner. That was good.

172

I'll take the check if that's okay man.

173

I need to hit the road, head into New Orleans.

174

You did a good job man.

175

So nice to meet you mate.

176

And thanks so much for all the good service.

177

I was going to say, can I pay Apple Pay with this?

178

Yes, sir.

179

It can be up front and I'll get you up front.

180

Okay, so if I just come up front, I can pay, yeah?

181

Awesome.

182

Thank you, mate.

183

How much are we looking?

184

$16.24.

185

Let's get moving.

186

I need to put some miles in.

187

Cheers, mate.

188

And if you want, you can come around on the other side.

189

Ah, come on the other side.

190

Perfect.

191

You had a busy day then, mate?

192

Yeah, there's still more people coming in, so...

193

It's crazy.

194

So people like eating late in Houston, then?

195

Oh, they do a lot.

196

Especially on weekends, you know people go out to drinks.

197

Yeah.

198

Then they come over here at like 2 to 4 in the morning, we'll be getting busy.

199

In the UK, they go out drinking and get a kebab.

200

Here they can come for waffles.

201

How long has this place been open? Since 1957.

202

This place has been open since 1957?

203

Yes, sir.

204

Wow, still going strong.

205

Well, the waffle is amazing.

206

Hilario, honestly, absolute pleasure, mate.

207

Yes, sir.

208

Look after yourself, mate.

209

Hope you have a good night.

210

See you later.

211

Have a good day, mate.

212

Good recommendation.

213

How was the food?

214

Nice to meet you, mate.

215

What did you get?

216

I got the waffles, you know, because I've got a long drive.

217

I did it with the powder sugar and the maple syrup.

218

It was really good.

219

Thank you so much for the recommendation.

220

How's the...

221

So this is the chicken steak?

222

No, no, no. This is the sandwich.

223

Nice.

224

How is it?

225

Good?

226

Oh yeah, it's good.

227

I'll get the fish next time.

228

Catfish.

229

Catfish.

230

Catfish?

231

Wow.

232

The catfish is good.

233

Does it taste like cod?

234

Like fish and chips in the UK?

235

No. Totally different.

236

I'll put it on the list for next time.

237

Oh no, I'm good, honestly.

238

I really appreciate it, but honestly.

239

Thank you so much.

240

Lovely to meet you.

241

Have a great night.

242

See you later.

243

Have a good one.

244

I'll tell you what, I absolutely love this place.

245

Dots in Houston.

246

You swear it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon and it's 1 in the morning.

247

Hilario, 10 out of 10.

248

Even the customers offering me pieces of their catfish.

249

Tell you what, someplace that.

250

Look at all the cars in the car park.

251

This is how good this place is.

252

I'll remember that one.

253

That Waffles set me up for this trip.

254

Let's see what the next town is.

255

Oh, we're at our next stop.

256

We are in Beaumont or Beaumont, Texas, and we are in IHOP, International House of Pancakes.

257

We've had Waffles, now time for a pancake.

258

This is it.

259

There's a few cars here.

260

Hey, how's it going, mate?

261

Are you still open at all?

262

Yeah.

263

You're still open?

264

Cool.

265

Thank you.

266

Can I go inside or?

267

Yeah.

268

Amazing.

269

How are you mate?

270

You well?

271

Alright.

272

Can I take a seat?

273

Yeah.

274

Awesome.

275

Thank you mate.

276

How's your night been?

277

Same old, same old.

278

Same old busy or you had a quiet one or?

279

Quiet.

280

What time you on till?

281

6 in the morning.

282

6am.

283

Not too many people in.

284

So do a lot of people just take away or are they like, are they sitting or?

285

Doordash or Uber.

286

Ah, okay, so a lot of your stuff is mainly takeaway, is it?

287

Yeah.

288

Ah, that makes sense.

289

Flippin' egg, I think we're as tired as each other, mate.

290

What do you recommend?

291

I haven't been to IHOP for years.

292

Is everything on the menu available this time of night?

293

I don't have no tea, I have to make you some coffee, we have sodas, we have cold drinks.

294

Do you have all the food and stuff?

295

We should.

296

You should?

297

Okay, cool.

298

Would it be rude to come to the International House of Pancakes and not order pancakes?

299

What's easiest for you?

300

Because I know you've had a long night.

301

I do have my food birthday.

302

He was just waiting on you to make an order.

303

I tell you what, let's do some pancakes.

304

That should keep me awake.

305

I'll get some pancakes and I'll get a coffee as well, please, mate.

306

You want to do the combo?

307

The combo?

308

What's the combo, sorry?

309

So you get two pancakes, two eggs, bacon, sausage or ham.

310

Ah, you get bacon, sausage, eggs, the lot.

311

No, do you know what?

312

I'll just need two pancakes if that's okay.

313

So only the pancakes.

314

I'll have a bit of cream on top.

315

We don't have any of that right now.

316

Ah, you don't have any cream.

317

Do you have any, like, syrup?

318

Perfect.

319

Yeah, I'll just get the pancakes and the syrup, please, man.

320

And then if I can get a coffee as well, like, in a takeaway cup, that'd be great.

321

You want buttermilk or do you want a flavor?

322

What's the standard? just the buttermilk is it?

323

buttermilk it is what was your name mate?

324

Anthony nice to meet you Anthony my name's Simon are you from Beaumont?

325

where are you from?

326

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge, Louisiana I think I'm going through Baton Rouge yes you are is that better than Beaumont or is Beaumont better?

327

it's worse than Beaumont it's worse than Beaumont? yeah

328

is it? well we're starting off good and we're getting worse cheers Anthony appreciate that mate Where's the toilet mate?

329

Just straight down is it?

330

On the right.

331

On the right, thanks so much mate.

332

Poor Anthony's knackered.

333

I'm knackered as well.

334

I'll tell you what though, I've got to say, the toilets are spotless.

335

Anthony's doing a good job.

336

You doing the cooking Anthony or are you getting someone else?

337

I've got my cooking.

338

How are you tonight chef?

339

Busy night or not too bad?

340

Not too bad.

341

My first time ever in Beaumont. For real? From Austria?

342

No, from Wales.

343

How about yourself mate?

344

Are you from here?

345

Oh yeah, here.

346

How's life like in Beaumont?

347

It's been better but you know.

348

What time are you working till?

349

6 as well?

350

Yeah.

351

Wow, a long night.

352

Yeah, just travelling.

353

Just travelling around mate.

354

See the sights.

355

Exactly man.

356

to offer pretty nice end up yeah definitely right look forward

357

to the pancakes mate all right what was your name sorry

358

mike mike simon nice to meet you mike okay nice have

359

a good one man there's no one else here there's just

360

us tonight yeah i was saying there's some cars outside

361

when i pulled up

362

so are they just takeaway are they no those are our cars oh they're your cars well

363

that makes sense then doesn't it oh

364

so you said you're from wales from wales yeah yeah i've been to england in a while

365

So you've been to the UK?

366

What did you think of it out there?

367

I loved it.

368

Yeah, it's good isn't it?

369

Whereabouts did you go in the UK?

370

Manchester.

371

Ah, Manchester, nice.

372

We were stationed in Germany, so...

373

Ah, okay, so were you in the military were you?

374

Yeah.

375

Flipping hell.

376

So how long were you in the military for?

377

My dad is...

378

24 years, I would say.

379

So you did a lot of travelling with the military then?

380

Nah, just to Germany.

381

How was that?

382

Enjoy it or...?

383

I loved it.

384

Let me get to your family.

385

Cheers, Anthony.

386

Tell you what, Anthony and Mike are the boys in Beaumont.

387

Looking forward to these pancakes.

388

Mike's rustling up.

389

Ah, thanks so much, mate.

390

You want to turn your cheek off?

391

I'll just have the black coffee.

392

Thanks so much mate.

393

Is this the syrup or is that the coffee?

394

That's the coffee.

395

That's the coffee.

396

How are the pancakes going?

397

Oh look at them.

398

How do you make the pancakes here?

399

Is it like in the machine or?

400

Ah okay then you just drop them what on the toaster is it or in the frying pan or?

401

On the grill.

402

On the grill nice.

403

Look forward to this.

404

Nice one for that Mike.

405

Appreciate that Anthony.

406

Thank you mate.

407

No problem.

408

Right, this is what we're dealing with.

409

We've got Mike's finest pancakes with a big dollop of butter on it.

410

They look good, though, to be fair.

411

And then we've got the coffee.

412

Right, let's give this a go.

413

I haven't had an IHOP for years.

414

They're good, then.

415

Anthony, Mike's done a good job.

416

Look what we've got here.

417

We've got strawberry syrup, butter pecan syrup, blueberry syrup and old-fashioned syrup.

418

Gotta be old-fashioned syrup, isn't it?

419

I tell you what, I should be calling this video the 10,000 calorie night.

420

Well, I can say, if you ever find yourself in Beaumont, Texas, come and give Mike and Anthony a visit.

421

I could just keep going here, but I need to stop.

422

Anthony, I finished me.

423

Can I get the cheque?

424

Thanks so much mate, that was amazing.

425

Can I do apple pay?

426

Yeah.

427

Mate, $7.87 for the coffee and the pancakes?

428

That's so cheap!

429

Pancakes were really good as well mate, good job.

430

Thank you.

431

Mike, good job man.

432

Appreciate it.

433

Thanks so much, lovely to meet you man.

434

Lovely to meet you too mate.

435

It's lovely.

436

Perfect.

437

Amazing.

438

And I can add a tip on this as well, can I?

439

Yeah.

440

Ah, just there, perfect.

441

Ten.

442

Thank you thanks so much anthony pleasure mate pleasure look after yourself like a nice one yeah thanks

443

so much man i really appreciate it yeah i know 100 have a good night anyway gents see you later

444

do you know what ihop's getting a solid 9.9 out of 10 mike and anthony top job pancakes for mega

445

Tell you what though, this coffee's boiling.

446

Right, next stop.

447

No idea.

448

It is night two, and I'm currently on the border between Texas and Louisiana.

449

And my next stop is a town, well I think it's a town, called Lake Charles.

450

I've never heard of Lake Charles.

451

But before we find the next diner, I need to go to a gas station and fill the car up with petrol.

452

But before I do that, I want to let you know that I'm giving a few things away that are handy when you're travelling.

453

A Nintendo Switch 2 and some AirPods, all thanks to our friends over at Whatnot.

454

If you've never heard of Whatnot, it's a live shopping app that people auction off literally everything.

455

Collectibles, vintage stuff, trainers, tech, Pokemon cards, sports cards, you name it.

456

And you can jump in and bid live.

457

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458

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459

To enter my giveaway, sign up using the link below, and either spend some of that free credit or comment your Whatnot username.

460

Honestly, my Pokemon obsession is getting out of hand recently.

461

There is loads on Whatnot, but enough about Pokemon, let's get going.

462

Right, next stop, Lake Charles.

463

Let's get to this gas station.

464

You from Australia?

465

No, from Wales.

466

Wales?

467

Oh, that's even good.

468

How are you doing?

469

You good?

470

Hey man, I'm mate.

471

Where is there a good diner around here?

472

Do you know?

473

A diner?

474

Yeah, like a good 24 hour diner.

475

I know.

476

Oh, Waffle House.

477

The Waffle House is here.

478

Waffle House good?

479

Yeah, yeah.

480

Okay, awesome.

481

But look, don't go to the one on the lakefront.

482

Don't go to the one on the lakefront.

483

No, go to Highway 14, Florida.

484

No, I'm from the UK, from Wales.

485

Where are you from mate?

486

Are you from Lake Charles or?

487

Yeah.

488

I've never been Lake Charles.

489

Is there any good round here or?

490

Yeah.

491

It's good?

492

You know what you do better?

493

No. The buffet at the casino.

494

Buffet at the casino?

495

And is a casino round here?

496

We play them.

497

Ah, nice.

498

It's Las Vegas in Louisiana.

499

What do you want from there?

500

I'll get you something and I'll bring it back out.

501

Cup of ice.

502

A cup of ice?

503

Am I doing that for me too?

504

Yeah, I'll get that.

505

Right, let me put some petrol in and I'll be back.

506

I appreciate you man.

507

Yeah, no worries man.

508

Just trying to help me, do my bit.

509

Right, petrol in the US, how do we do this?

510

I got your car.

511

Ah, okay, so I tap first.

512

You don't pay inside.

513

Tap.

514

Yeah, yeah.

515

Alright, let's get this in.

516

Yeah, watch that cigarette by the car, mate.

517

I don't fancy blowing the car up.

518

Nah, nah, nah.

519

Right, I think this is working.

520

Hey, don't mind me.

521

I'm just waking around here, so I'm just...

522

Yeah, all good, man.

523

Don't worry about it.

524

It's turning into an interesting night in Lake Charles.

525

How's it going, man?

526

You good?

527

Are you from Lake Charles mate?

528

Yes sir, yes sir.

529

Right here, born and raised.

530

What was everybody's name?

531

Sidney, yours?

532

Sidney, Simon.

533

Nice to meet you Sidney.

534

Nice to meet you.

535

What's your name?

536

Ray.

537

Nice to meet you man.

538

What does everybody want from the shop?

539

A drink.

540

So you want a cup of ice?

541

I want a soda.

542

A soda, okay.

543

I have no idea what's going on here, but we'll get some drinks.

544

Get some Gatorade.

545

Hey, how are you Manuel?

546

Well, out of curiosity, where is the best 24 hour diners around here?

547

What's my options?

548

You got a walk-off like by the interstate right here.

549

Okay, perfect.

550

I'm just going to get a cup of ice as well.

551

Thanks so much, man.

552

Thank you.

553

Are you from Lake Charles or how's it like around here?

554

It's okay.

555

If you leave this way, you want to go to Wawa, go straight all the way down that.

556

Yeah.

557

And when you get to the end, you're going to make a right.

558

Perfect and go around.

559

Awesome, thank you so much mate.

560

Where you from?

561

Australia? From Wales?

562

Wales, I can tell you you got to add shit.

563

Yeah, thanks so much mate.

564

Oh, you're welcome.

565

Lovely to meet you mate, have a good night.

566

See you later.

567

There's your ice man.

568

I appreciate it.

569

And there's loads of sodas and stuff there.

570

All the best Sid, have a good one.

571

See you later man.

572

See you later Peter, look after yourself mate.

573

Right, let's get back on the road, next diner.

574

And here we have it, the famous Waffle House.

575

The last time I was in a Waffle House was years ago, probably before Covid.

576

Let's see what this place is like.

577

Hey, how's it going?

578

You good?

579

My first time in a Waffle House in Louisiana.

580

Oh, well welcome.

581

Where are you from?

582

From Wales in the UK.

583

Okay, well welcome.

584

Thank you so much.

585

I'm heading from Houston through to New Orleans.

586

I want a bit of a drive.

587

Okay, cool.

588

I got stuck here.

589

I'll get some food if that's okay. Will you?

590

How are you tonight?

591

Are you good?

592

I'm good.

593

What do you recommend?

594

We have the All Star right here.

595

Which you get eggs, toast.

596

You can get grits or hash browns.

597

Grits?

598

What's grits?

599

Grits is like grinded up corn.

600

Ah, okay.

601

I can't say I've ever had that before.

602

So what are my options?

603

Grits or?

604

Grits or hash browns.

605

Or hash browns.

606

I think I'll go with a hash brown if that's okay.

607

So you want to get the All Star?

608

The number is 1225 and you get all this.

609

You get the waffle all set.

610

Flip!

611

Yeah, good value for money.

612

Look at this.

613

Yeah, let's do that.

614

Let's do the all-star.

615

Okay, how would you like your eggs?

616

What do you recommend?

617

I would do a scramble with cheese.

618

Scramble with cheese.

619

As unhealthy as possible.

620

All right, and we have waffles that you can get like chocolate chip, peanut butter, blueberry.

621

Do you know, on the waffles I'll just have it standard.

622

Yeah, just with maple syrup, please.

623

Bacon or sauce? let's do bacon no sausage okay

624

and we're going to drink with that yeah can i get a black coffee

625

if that's okay i think it's going to be a long

626

night yeah it will be all right baby i'm gonna get

627

that coffee for you thank you so much look at this menu cheese steak sausage

628

and bacon chicken

629

and egg what time do you close man we don't close

630

you don't seven days a week 24 7 fair play man What time do you finish working?

631

We start at 9, we get off at 7 in the morning.

632

7 in the morning?

633

Do you get busy in the middle of the night or?

634

Really?

635

Because I was going to say Lake Charles just driving through seems pretty quiet.

636

Yeah.

637

It's not that quiet though.

638

Is it not?

639

Thanks so much, cheers.

640

How are you?

641

I'm good, are you?

642

Yeah, very good.

643

So who's the longest serving member of staff here?

644

How long?

645

Over 20 plus.

646

You've been here 20 years plus?

647

Fair play, man.

648

What was your name, sorry?

649

I go by 2 o'clock too tall i really hope you

650

enjoy this listen i'm just really grateful to be here

651

and experience it

652

so thank you for having me i think i'll have to

653

try the grits next time yeah you'll have to try the

654

grits i've never even tried really how long have you been

655

here amanda are you from lake chow i am from my

656

toes i've been here for only 10 months 10 months what

657

are these casinos like i didn't even know there was a

658

casino in lake chow yeah i swivel over things there's two

659

of them I'm guessing you get a lot of people out of time to come in for that then.

660

Because we're open 24-7.

661

This is the only place that you'll be able to get some heat here.

662

It's around here in here.

663

Yeah, yeah.

664

I'm not done at Denny's yet.

665

What's better, here or Denny's?

666

Not very far.

667

Is it not good?

668

No. Well, to be fair, the guy in the gas station recommended coming here.

669

Really?

670

So you've obviously got a good reputation.

671

Too tall, you're the man.

672

Look at that.

673

Thank you so much.

674

You're very welcome.

675

Too tall, how did you get that out so quick?

676

You're good at it.

677

Mate, experience.

678

You don't have any ketchup at all?

679

I've even got my own bottle.

680

Perfect.

681

I've got two tootles for whenever your waffle comes up.

682

Ah, amazing.

683

I forgot I had the waffle as well.

684

And I think Mr. Reisel's been here for how long?

685

10 years?

686

10 years?

687

Come November of this year, it'll be 25 years.

688

25 years?

689

So who's winning out of you and TwoTall?

690

Me.

691

TwoTall's still winning.

692

What does Waffle House give you when you've worked here 25 years?

693

The same thing they give me every day, I come here.

694

Aww, don't say that.

695

They give us a little thing that goes for 25 years.

696

Are they good to work for?

697

Yeah, they're pretty good.

698

They're about to be the most fat food restaurants you go to.

699

I didn't realise Waffle House had been going that long.

700

It's been going for years.

701

What's this lady's name?

702

Miss Carney.

703

Miss Carney?

704

Where do I get a Waffle House hat like you?

705

I'm gonna show you here in just a second.

706

They had a lot of different kinds like that.

707

There you go sir.

708

Flipping.

709

They're trying to do this in the middle of the night.

710

I won't be sleeping tonight.

711

Good job on the breakfast, Tutal.

712

This is mega meat.

713

I might move to Lake Charles.

714

I quite like it, yeah?

715

It's not any nice stupid people out the door.

716

Really?

717

How are you Miss Connor?

718

You well?

719

I'm good.

720

How are you?

721

It's not in there.

722

So what's this badge for?

723

Let's take them when they give them to me.

724

Tell you what, for this time of night, like there's even another couple sat down in the corner.

725

What time do you finish, Amanda?

726

Are you on the whole night as well?

727

I'm here until 7 o'clock in the morning.

728

7 in the morning?

729

We all go.

730

So do you do that every night or is it?

731

Yeah, I mean, I do it at a different store also.

732

I work in Highway Handicare.

733

I work the third shift mainly.

734

I work one morning shift and that's it.

735

The majority of us is third shift here.

736

So like, how many people are on shift now?

737

Six people.

738

And are you all on through the night?

739

Yes.

740

Well, I don't know.

741

It does get busy in here, though.

742

Yes.

743

Is that the bill, is it?

744

Yes.

745

Perfect.

746

Thanks so much, Amanda.

747

You're welcome.

748

Tell you what, it's a good waffle.

749

Are you just here to visit and then you're going back?

750

Exactly.

751

Yeah, okay.

752

So I'm on holiday, going from Houston to New Orleans.

753

Houston to New Orleans.

754

Yeah.

755

Okay, New Orleans is a very interesting city.

756

What area are you staying in?

757

I'm gonna go like the urban street and all that.

758

And the French Quarter and all that.

759

That's the best part of all of it.

760

That's a riverboat ride, make sure you take that.

761

Really?

762

That's good.

763

I tell you what, Louisiana's better than Texas, but don't tell anybody I said that.

764

You gotta try the beignets in New Orleans, it's our guest.

765

The beignets?

766

What's a beignet?

767

A beignet?

768

A beignet?

769

What's that?

770

It's delicious.

771

Oh, it's like...

772

A beignet?

773

Yes.

774

I've never heard of this.

775

I'll say you should try a Keen cake while you're here.

776

A Keen cake?

777

What's a Keen cake?

778

Oh, that's good too.

779

And a pastry.

780

A pastry?

781

Okay, I do pastry.

782

What's this in here is it's covered in like fried sugar and it's delicious and it'll best in your order.

783

And this is the Keen cake?

784

A beignet.

785

A beignet.

786

A beignet.

787

So what's the difference between a Keen cake and a beignet?

788

So you're not going to be able to get a Keen cake this time of year most likely?

789

I mean probably somewhere at a donut shop out there.

790

Maybe, yeah.

791

I'll have to try the beignet.

792

I'll try it for you.

793

And food in.

794

You've got to try food in.

795

It's a pig intestine.

796

Can you tell I'm a foreigner?

797

Now, make sure you go to Canal Street.

798

You can get all kinds of barrens on Canal Street, but be very careful.

799

So during the daytime.

800

I've got so many things I need to try.

801

And Burberry Street, they never sleep.

802

You should have came to Mardi Gras.

803

Mardi Gras is a whole...

804

Starts in January.

805

So you have to come to Mardi Gras.

806

You know what?

807

Every town that I've passed through so far, everybody's so friendly and I love it.

808

We've got to give you a whack on that, Pep.

809

Right, what's this?

810

A chef.

811

Like a chef's hat?

812

Yes.

813

Oh, perfect.

814

Let me get that on.

815

What do you reckon?

816

You haven't got any job applications as well.

817

Thank you so much.

818

Look at this.

819

I've even got the American flag on it.

820

Connie, I don't need to buy the merch anymore.

821

I've got it.

822

I think this is better than the baseball hat.

823

Right, I think I best hit the road.

824

Thank you so much for everything.

825

Yeah, it's lovely to meet you all.

826

Thank you so much.

827

How was your meal?

828

It was amazing.

829

Ten out of ten.

830

Two tall smashed the hash brown.

831

Amanda smashed the service.

832

The best Waffle House.

833

What do you say in the barren?

834

Can I add a tip?

835

You can.

836

Perfect.

837

All good.

838

I don't need the receipt.

839

Thank you so much, Amanda.

840

It's so nice to meet you.

841

How's the food?

842

What did everybody else order?

843

We're all gone.

844

Where's everybody from here?

845

Here.

846

Here.

847

Ah, you're all from Lake Charles?

848

Where are you from? From Wales.

849

I'm from Triosau, Tokyo.

850

Ah, so you've got a place as well?

851

Yeah, Tokyo.

852

Ah, nice.

853

So is that a diner as well?

854

Or is that like a restaurant?

855

A diner.

856

It's like Asian cuisine.

857

Awesome, I'll check it out.

858

So what is your clothes then?

859

This is your spot then, isn't it?

860

Yeah, most of the time, yeah.

861

Yeah, fair play.

862

It's so nice to meet you all.

863

Yeah, same.

864

Have a good one.

865

See you later.

866

I really appreciate that.

867

No, don't be silly.

868

I really appreciate you.

869

So nice to meet you all anyway.

870

Have a good one.

871

See you later.

872

Have a good one.

873

See you later.

874

My shirt is a Wales football top. From Wales.

875

Have a good one.

876

See you later.

877

Bye.

878

I'll tell you what.

879

Waffle House.

880

Lake Charles at this time of night.

881

Who'd have thought?

882

Lovely, lovely people.

883

Working 12 hour shifts.

884

Even being nice in the middle of the night.

885

What more can you ask for?

886

I really, really enjoyed that.

887

Let's see where the next town is.

888

And here we have it.

889

Mel's Diner in Lafayette.

890

Open 24 hours.

891

I'm not too sure what that is.

892

And then this is it.

893

This is the main sign.

894

Mel's Diner.

895

Call ahead drive-through.

896

Crawfish or fried fish?

897

Right, let's see what this is like.

898

It looks pretty bougie.

899

This looks proper old school.

900

We've even got a call machine.

901

What are these pictures?

902

Choice Awards winner Mel's Diner.

903

Hey, how's it going?

904

You good?

905

Yeah, just for one please.

906

Would you like to sit here by the table?

907

I'll sit at the bar if that's okay.

908

Come on, let's go ahead.

909

How are you tonight?

910

You well?

911

I'm doing wonderful.

912

What can I get for you?

913

Can I get a black coffee if that's okay?

914

You sure can.

915

Here's your menu.

916

Amazing, check this out.

917

Look at this menu.

918

Looks like you had a dog right there.

919

Hey, how's it going, Manuel?

920

Simon, nice to meet you.

921

Bobby Boucher.

922

Ah, nice, Bobby Boucher.

923

I've heard that name before.

924

And I'll be back to take you on in a second.

925

Yeah, perfect, thanks so much.

926

Where are you from?

927

From Wales in the UK.

928

How about you, are you local or...?

929

I am.

930

Is your name actually Bobby Boucher?

931

I'm from Scotland.

932

You've got family from Scotland.

933

I live Venezuela, when Chavez took over in 98.

934

I left and went to Amsterdam until my ex-wife got mad and then I came home for a divorce.

935

Oh, nightmare.

936

How many countries have you been to?

937

Sounds like you've been to a few.

938

Fourteen countries, probably.

939

Is your name actually Bobby Boucher?

940

Yeah, it's Bruce.

941

Bruce, nice to meet you.

942

But they couldn't pronounce it.

943

I was going to say, because I watched Waterboy years ago and I never forget Bobby Boucher.

944

Guess right.

945

I'm in North Dakota.

946

Well done on the pipeline coming in from Canada.

947

Bobby Boucher, you gotta go see this movie.

948

I don't know, I don't want to say that movie.

949

Oh, you love it.

950

I loved it.

951

Bobby Boussette.

952

So you live in Lafayette now, do you, Bruce?

953

Yeah, I do.

954

Ah, you grew up here?

955

Yeah.

956

Nice.

957

How is it out here?

958

It's my first time here.

959

It's good.

960

What's Mel's Diner like?

961

I've never been to Mel's before.

962

It's pretty decent.

963

Is it good?

964

What do you recommend on the menu?

965

Well, I'll tell you one damn thing.

966

French fries and brown gravy.

967

French fries and brown gravy.

968

Well, coming from a local, I think I might have to try that.

969

You might like it.

970

Mate, this menu's massive.

971

I was going to say, it's pretty busy for the early hours of the morning.

972

It'll get busy.

973

Really?

974

It'll get busy?

975

Yeah.

976

4am.

977

Everybody's leaving the ballroom.

978

It's all good to meet you, mate.

979

You have a good night.

980

Have a good night.

981

Have a good night.

982

Yeah, you too, mate.

983

I'm going to take your order.

984

Yeah, perfect.

985

What's the best thing on the menu?

986

Like, what's the most famous thing on the menu?

987

I've never been to a Mel's in my life.

988

I'm going to be honest.

989

I'm new.

990

What's the best thing on the menu, Jess?

991

Best thing on the menu?

992

What are we talking?

993

Oh, my God.

994

The menu is so big.

995

I was gonna say, I'm not being funny, I've been to a few diners on my route.

996

Literally, it's like mid-afternoon in here, the amount of people that's in here.

997

Is it like this all night?

998

We're gonna get more busy.

999

Really?

1000

Absolutely.

1001

So what time did you finish?

1002

4am.

1003

4am.

1004

I got here at 5pm.

1005

Where are you from? From Wales.

1006

Where are you from, local?

1007

Yeah.

1008

How long have you worked here? Since March.

1009

Give me one second.

1010

Yeah, no problem, no rush.

1011

Right, let's have a look at this menu.

1012

What are we saying?

1013

Fried steak, hamburger supreme, chef's...

1014

This menu has literally got everything.

1015

Liver and onions, shrimp platter.

1016

Oh my God, there's too much choice here.

1017

Bruce, look after yourself, mate.

1018

Have a good one.

1019

Boucher.

1020

Bobby Boucher.

1021

He made me want to watch Waterboy now.

1022

You have a good night.

1023

See you later, Bruce.

1024

Right, what we having?

1025

First time in Mel's?

1026

Breakfast or dinner?

1027

Nothing too heavy.

1028

I've got a drive to go.

1029

What do you reckon?

1030

A lot of our stuff is heavy.

1031

A lot of your stuff is really heavy, yeah.

1032

You thinking breakfast?

1033

Yeah, go on, let's do breakfast.

1034

This is our breakfast menu.

1035

There's more on the back.

1036

Do you know what?

1037

Let's do some eggs.

1038

I've done so many waffles and pancakes along the way.

1039

I think let's go a bit healthier.

1040

Healthier?

1041

So anything with this little orange thing is like...

1042

Healthy.

1043

More healthy.

1044

More healthy.

1045

Okay.

1046

I tell you what, let's go for the eggs on toast. On toast? On toast.

1047

So you want like a sandwich?

1048

No, just like the toast and then the eggs on top.

1049

Does that work?

1050

That'll work.

1051

Perfect.

1052

Any breakfast meats like bacon or sausage?

1053

No, I'm good.

1054

I'll just, eggs on toast will be good.

1055

Eggs and toast.

1056

What type of bread do you have?

1057

We have white bread, wheat toast.

1058

Let's just do white toast.

1059

Can't be eggs on white toast.

1060

And how do you want the eggs cooked?

1061

Fried?

1062

Is that what you say?

1063

In America it's like over easy, sunny side, but in the UK we just say They say scrambled, fried or poached.

1064

So I'm going to have it fried if that's okay.

1065

So like over, do you want yolk?

1066

Not too runny, but not too well done.

1067

Over medium.

1068

Over medium, right.

1069

So if I ever have eggs in the US, I'm saying over medium.

1070

It also comes with grits or hash browns.

1071

Do you know what?

1072

I had this option in the Waffle House that I went to.

1073

And I went for hash browns.

1074

Grits doesn't sound good.

1075

They like to tell us we're like Waffle House on steroids.

1076

really do you like grits would you recommend it here yeah

1077

okay let's try it maybe like rich with cheese let's try grits with cheese

1078

but can i like have it on the side i don't know

1079

if i'm gonna like it yeah

1080

but we'll try it it comes in a separate okay perfect grits with cheese let's do it

1081

and just to clarify what is grits i have no idea

1082

right well we're gonna find out you've never had grits never

1083

had grits no way never had it this will be the first time in mel's diner serious I hope I like it, but please don't be offended.

1084

We'll just put lots of ketchup on it and I'm sure it'll be good It's not like the tank totally No,

1085

let's try the grits.

1086

I feel like I've got to try it.

1087

Okay, wish me luck We don't hear what that way.

1088

So let's just try it.

1089

Am I gonna like grits or what?

1090

Yeah, do you like this?

1091

Like it with sugar what is it?

1092

You like salty grits, sugary grits.

1093

What is grits?

1094

It's gritty.

1095

This sounds awful.

1096

It's good.

1097

It's gritty.

1098

It sounds lovely.

1099

It's gritty.

1100

You have it with sugar.

1101

This lady has it with salt.

1102

Yes.

1103

You can have it with seasoning.

1104

It goes with eggs.

1105

Can you put ketchup on it?

1106

You can put whatever you want on it, but I wouldn't recommend ketchup.

1107

Can I get a Coke Zero if that's alright?

1108

Perfect, thanks so much.

1109

What was your name by the way?

1110

Justice.

1111

Thank you so much, appreciate it.

1112

I'll tell you what, I like Mel's Diner.

1113

You had a busy night mate?

1114

Not bad.

1115

My first time ever in a Mel's Diner.

1116

How is it?

1117

Yeah, so good, I'm looking forward to the food.

1118

How many Mel's Diner is there?

1119

Is it a chain or is it just one?

1120

Just two, we have one in the last, it's original than the last it is.

1121

And then they close it down and he opened up, he opened up and put his wife's name in the light and his wife is Mel.

1122

Ah, okay.

1123

Mel Diner.

1124

They have some in like Florida.

1125

This is the original one then, is it?

1126

The one in Lafford is, of these two, we only have two of them.

1127

This is the second one.

1128

His daughter and son-in-law opened this one in 97.

1129

He was in 91, this one was in 97.

1130

After the Covid, Mr Jack sold them.

1131

Mr Keith owns both of them.

1132

Mr Keith is Mr Jack, son of them.

1133

So the original owner doesn't own them anymore?

1134

No, he's here every day.

1135

You still call him the boss.

1136

He still comes in every day?

1137

He just had a hip surgery.

1138

No, wait, how old is he now?

1139

Must be in his late 70s, early 80s.

1140

It must be amazing for him to come in and see it still going.

1141

I'm a big fan of Mel's Diner.

1142

It's going to be my first time trying grits, so wish me luck on that.

1143

Some of that.

1144

Seasonal.

1145

So do you have sugar or salt on yours?

1146

I did it once, I didn't like it.

1147

I've never tried grits.

1148

What exactly is it?

1149

It's kind of like rice, it doesn't really have a taste.

1150

We're going to see.

1151

A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, some seasonal, a maca butter.

1152

I like butter.

1153

Well, I'll let you know what it's like after I've tried it.

1154

What time do you finish work, mate?

1155

Six.

1156

Six a.m.

1157

Do you always do the nights?

1158

Wednesday and Thursday day, Friday, Saturday, Sunday night.

1159

Friday, Saturday.

1160

Are they the busiest nights I'm guessing?

1161

There's a concert in town, we get really busy when it's a hurricane, or the only ones open.

1162

Oh wow, you get a few hurricanes through here then do you?

1163

We had two in 2020.

1164

But last year we had a blizzard, a snow-dwelling blizzard.

1165

And my grandmother made some shit, you never see, that doesn't happen in New Year's.

1166

But the snow's flowing sideways and it'll snow for like a few days.

1167

So you're open 24 hours, seven days a week?

1168

and go for christmas it's only day before it's lovely to

1169

meet you ryan simon i'm gonna check one i'll see how

1170

you like it yeah 100 it is absolutely rammed in here it's literally full down there

1171

and it's full over there it's been some journey this it's

1172

been a good one i'm getting closer to new orleans is this it yes thank you

1173

so much eggs on toast

1174

and this is the grits now we give butter with grits a lot of people like butter in their grits Okay, it looks like porridge, doesn't it?

1175

Somewhat similar.

1176

Try some grits, Simon.

1177

I'm gonna try it.

1178

Let's see you try some grits.

1179

Do you think I'm gonna like it?

1180

I think so.

1181

I hope so.

1182

And not everybody makes their grits to see.

1183

You can try them and then decide if you want salt or sugar.

1184

Is it worth putting ketchup on it?

1185

No, no. Try it first.

1186

You'll put ketchup on everything in the UK, huh?

1187

Oh, wow.

1188

It is literally like porridge.

1189

Right, let's try it.

1190

You want a spoon?

1191

Yeah, let's try it.

1192

Can you not eat grips with a fork?

1193

It has to be with a spoon.

1194

Right, let's give it a go.

1195

Let's eat.

1196

Don't judge me here, right?

1197

I want to judge you.

1198

Oh, wow.

1199

So what's in this at the minute?

1200

Just butter?

1201

It doesn't have butter in this.

1202

No, let me try it.

1203

It doesn't have butter in this.

1204

It doesn't have butter in this.

1205

What on...

1206

What is it?

1207

What on earth is that?

1208

It's like mashed potato.

1209

It's mashed potato.

1210

It's like Grinny Cup.

1211

Look it up.

1212

It's not good with nothing in it.

1213

Okay, so let's put something in it.

1214

Butter.

1215

Right, go on then.

1216

You need another one.

1217

Make a boat with butter and salt.

1218

I'll get you.

1219

Butter and salt.

1220

We're just going to put as much butter and salt in it and then it'll be amazing.

1221

Amazing.

1222

We're going to do one sweet and one salty.

1223

I can't have sweet.

1224

Let's do the salty.

1225

You need a bigger boat.

1226

Let's get my blood pressure up really high.

1227

I'll get you a baby.

1228

Let's mash this butter in.

1229

This looks horrendous.

1230

This is corn.

1231

right the butter and salt is in let's give this another go I don't know I put butter

1232

and salt in it you ready

1233

no that's not for me that no I appreciate you let me try it

1234

but I'll stick to the eggs on toast the potatoes really good let's try the potato

1235

The home fries is what I recommend.

1236

Okay, what's the best one?

1237

I prefer home fries.

1238

Everybody would say home fries.

1239

Okay, let's try home fries.

1240

Oh, no, the grits.

1241

I put the butter and salt in, Ryan, innit?

1242

Yeah.

1243

Are you a fan of it?

1244

I love it, man. Do you?

1245

You love it?

1246

I broke with it, I know how to fix it.

1247

I love it.

1248

Yeah.

1249

So you have it for breakfast, I'm guessing?

1250

Tripping grits.

1251

Prawns and that?

1252

I couldn't do that, Ryan.

1253

I'll stick to the egg and toast, mate.

1254

Oh, yeah.

1255

Tell you what, this egg's in there.

1256

Toast is mega.

1257

Hey, 10 out of 10 for the eggs on toast.

1258

What's your go-to order here?

1259

I do the French toast.

1260

Come every weekend.

1261

Every weekend?

1262

French toast?

1263

I like it.

1264

You need anything else right now?

1265

No, I'm all good, thank you.

1266

I'll try the house fries, and then I'm going to hit the road, I think.

1267

You can put ketchup on those if you want.

1268

I'll 100% be putting ketchup on them.

1269

Okay.

1270

These are the famous house fries.

1271

Yeah.

1272

They look good.

1273

Do you want a refill?

1274

Yeah, I'll get one more refill.

1275

I'm...

1276

I'm sorry.

1277

Pulling knives and forks out of nowhere.

1278

Thank you.

1279

You're welcome.

1280

Tell you what, these look a lot better than that grits.

1281

That's more like it.

1282

A lot better than grits.

1283

I'll stick to the house fries next time.

1284

Have a good night.

1285

Enjoy the French toast.

1286

See you later.

1287

Can you show me the fries? So good.

1288

They're good, huh?

1289

So much better than the grits.

1290

Yeah, the grits are not good.

1291

I don't like grits either.

1292

Exactly.

1293

Well, I'll stick to the house fries in the future.

1294

Hello.

1295

Can I get the check if that's alright?

1296

You sure can.

1297

Amazing.

1298

Thank you so much.

1299

You're welcome, have a good one.

1300

Amazing, so nice to meet you.

1301

I tell you what, Mel's diner has exceeded my expectation.

1302

I'll be coming back.

1303

Perfect, is that mine?

1304

And the whole fries are on me.

1305

No, don't be silly, I'll pay for them.

1306

Well, I'll give it to you back in a sec.

1307

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

1308

Nice to meet you, Justice.

1309

Nice to meet you too.

1310

Have a good one, sir.

1311

Yeah, you too, so nice to meet you.

1312

Nice to meet you as well.

1313

There you go.

1314

Oh, hallelujah.

1315

Amazing, is that everything?

1316

Yes, sir.

1317

Thank you so much.

1318

So nice to meet you.

1319

Have a good one.

1320

Thank you.

1321

All the best, mate.

1322

Lovely to meet you.

1323

See you later.

1324

Cheers.

1325

Thank you.

1326

See you later.

1327

Mel's Diner.

1328

Winner.

1329

I tell you what, Louisiana's doing me proud.

1330

All these places are so good.

1331

I don't think I'll be in a rush to try grits again, but I'd definitely go back there.

1332

We're on the final stretch now.

1333

New Orleans.

1334

We've made it the time.

1335

4.30 in the morning in New Orleans and I am knackered.

1336

What a trip, what a few nights, but there's one more diner that I haven't tried and you all know which one it is and that's Denny's.

1337

Lucky for me, in front of me, is the only Denny's in New Orleans.

1338

I don't think I've ever been to a Denny's in my life.

1339

Have I been to a Denny's?

1340

I don't think so.

1341

I think it's safe to say that I won't be ordering grits.

1342

Right, the last diner of this trip, 4.30.

1343

Let's go.

1344

I tell you what, for 4.30 in the morning, there's a few cars.

1345

There we have it, the famous Denny's sign.

1346

I genuinely don't think I can eat any more food.

1347

I suppose one more pancake won't hurt.

1348

Here we have it, Denny's America's Diner.

1349

Wish me luck who's going to be in this at 4.30.

1350

Absolutely no public restrooms.

1351

Welcome, please wait to be seated.

1352

Hey, how's it going?

1353

Can I just grab a table?

1354

Yeah.

1355

Thank you.

1356

How are you?

1357

Busy night?

1358

Yeah, just for one person.

1359

Anywhere you'd like to see.

1360

Anyway, perfect.

1361

Thanks so much.

1362

Appreciate it. From UK?

1363

Oh, no, no, no. Where are you guys from?

1364

Colorado.

1365

Colorado, nice.

1366

So you just travelled into New Orleans or?

1367

I came here for work and then stayed here for a couple of years.

1368

Awesome.

1369

Awesome.

1370

And then try to move to Texas.

1371

What do you do for work?

1372

Uh, winter bath.

1373

Ah, awesome.

1374

You having a good night though?

1375

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1376

Ah, good.

1377

How's the food in Denny's?

1378

Yes, it's pretty good.

1379

It's good?

1380

No English.

1381

No English, espanol?

1382

Espanol, espanol.

1383

Mi espanol poquito.

1384

No, mi espanol poquito.

1385

Poquito, oh, ok.

1386

Where are you from?

1387

Guatemala.

1388

Guatemala, nice.

1389

Mi inglés is good.

1390

Mi inglés is good.

1391

So are you all from Guatemala or?

1392

No, Colombia.

1393

Colombia, nice.

1394

So nice to meet you anyway, man.

1395

Have a good night.

1396

You too.

1397

Have a good one.

1398

Right, let's jump on a table.

1399

Thank you so much.

1400

Where's your accent from?

1401

I'm Ukrainian.

1402

My brother stayed in England for about four years.

1403

He had not learned how to speak English.

1404

Really?

1405

I learned how to speak English, but I'll tell you, I love the way English sound, not American.

1406

Yeah.

1407

I messed up.

1408

I learned how to speak here, because I've been here for too long.

1409

I've been here almost 18 years.

1410

You've been in America for 18 years?

1411

Wow.

1412

And in New Orleans or?

1413

Just New Orleans.

1414

I don't like to move, I don't like to pack.

1415

I'm staying here, not going away.

1416

Yeah, 80 years, wow.

1417

So I messed up, I learned how to speak American English but I just love it.

1418

I heard you talking to the guys over there, I was like, oh my god, I love it.

1419

Yeah, definitely.

1420

What do you want to drink?

1421

Can I just get a black coffee if that's okay?

1422

Coffee, I got you.

1423

Thanks so much.

1424

Have you been on a night out, have you mate?

1425

Yeah, just a little bit.

1426

Got off of work and we're just exploring the town.

1427

New Orleans is a place to be.

1428

If you haven't been down Bourbon Street, it's like Thailand.

1429

Like Thailand?

1430

Yeah, I've been there a couple of times.

1431

Ah, really?

1432

Bourbon Street's like Thailand, is it?

1433

Last time I was in Bourbon Street, I think, was maybe a couple of years ago.

1434

So you've been into town and then you thought you'd come here for some food?

1435

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

1436

Yeah, we just got off work, went to a bar, came here.

1437

This is my first time ever in a Denny's, I think.

1438

Oh, man.

1439

You'll love it.

1440

What do you recommend?

1441

Like, what's the thing to get in Denny's?

1442

The Stackhouse?

1443

I would say something.

1444

Stackhouse?

1445

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't even know if they even have it here.

1446

But definitely the pancakes.

1447

Mate, I have eaten so many pancakes.

1448

I've driven from Houston, so it's been a long drive.

1449

What was your name, mate?

1450

Uh, Taylor.

1451

Taylor, nice to meet you, Simon.

1452

Nice to meet you, Simon.

1453

Awesome, I hope you have a good night anyway, man.

1454

Oh, yeah, yeah.

1455

See you later.

1456

All the best, mate.

1457

Ah, thank you so much.

1458

You're welcome.

1459

So, you're visiting?

1460

Yeah, just visiting.

1461

Yeah, I drove from Houston all the way here over the last couple of days.

1462

And this is my final stop.

1463

I'm going to stay here for a bit.

1464

We'll see where life takes me.

1465

What's your shift been tonight?

1466

When did you start?

1467

I came at 10.

1468

10 p.m.

1469

And what time do you finish?

1470

7. 7, not long to go.

1471

No, almost over.

1472

Have you been busy tonight?

1473

Tonight actually wasn't.

1474

And you know, it's kind of unusual for Fridays because we usually get very, very crowded.

1475

Really?

1476

Saturday's worse.

1477

So I'm not even tired today.

1478

I just, you know, chillin'.

1479

Because I'm guessing people like that gentleman, and they'll like go for drinks and they'll come here for food or something.

1480

That would be a night crowd, yeah.

1481

So it gets rowdy in here on the weekend?

1482

It gets rowdy, yeah.

1483

It gets pretty loud.

1484

But you know, we don't mind.

1485

I mean, I've been there before.

1486

I have used to be my stuff.

1487

Yeah, exactly.

1488

I'm old as well.

1489

2 o'clock in the morning, you know, I don't do that no more.

1490

I mean, 10pm, I gotta go to sleep.

1491

If I'm not working, I can't be up.

1492

I have a drink now, you get like a three-day hangover.

1493

It's not worth it.

1494

How was it like coming from Ukraine to America 18 years ago?

1495

I mean, it was different times, you know, I was a student, I had nothing to hold me back, I was young, I thought, believe, you know, the sky is the limit.

1496

Look back, like, 20 years later, this country not the same, that country is not the same, I'm not the same, and you know, the 20 years is like 40 now,

1497

because it aged so quickly, I'm gaining life, like, a little bit here, but I'm losing so much behind in Ukraine, you know?

1498

It's tough.

1499

Yeah, for sure.

1500

Yeah, I'll have a look at the menu, I haven't had a look yet, so yeah.

1501

But thank you so much.

1502

Jacku.

1503

Jacku, you're welcome.

1504

Thank you.

1505

What a lovely lady.

1506

I tell you what, I need that.

1507

Right, let's have a look at this.

1508

Denny's Welcome to America's Diner.

1509

Look at all this stuff.

1510

Where do I even start with this?

1511

Beef burgers, sharing platters, nachos, A frying pan with chicken and mushrooms.

1512

Chicken tenders.

1513

Oh, it just keeps going, doesn't it?

1514

Cheesecake, caramel apple pie.

1515

I can't get a caramel apple pie at 4.30 in the morning.

1516

Brownie sundae with Oreo pieces.

1517

Maple stuffed donut holes.

1518

This is too early in the morning for this.

1519

What are Denny's famous for?

1520

Like, what's the go-to on this menu?

1521

What's, like, the most famous thing here?

1522

Like, what do people order when they come here?

1523

What's the most popular? like country fried steak and egg.

1524

Country fried steak and eggs.

1525

Or like T-bone and eggs.

1526

French toast is really good.

1527

Is it, the French toast?

1528

Yeah, let's do the French toast.

1529

And it comes with eggs, does it?

1530

Two eggs and four pieces of meat.

1531

Either do like bacon and sausage or all four the same.

1532

I'll just do bacon if that's okay.

1533

Yeah.

1534

Amazing.

1535

How do you like your eggs?

1536

Perfect.

1537

Do you want to scramble well or you want to over...

1538

No, well I've scrambled well.

1539

French toast and bacon.

1540

Alrighty.

1541

Jakku, thank you.

1542

You're welcome, thank you.

1543

First time here?

1544

No, I've been here before, but not for a couple of years.

1545

So first time in a bit.

1546

How about yourself?

1547

Are you from here or...?

1548

I was born in Mississippi. In Mississippi?

1549

Yeah, I've been here for years though.

1550

So it's pretty much home.

1551

Has it been a long night or not too bad?

1552

I just came on.

1553

She's been here all night.

1554

I know, it's a long night.

1555

I can't work all night.

1556

Yeah.

1557

I used to when I was younger.

1558

Yeah.

1559

I don't want to do that anymore.

1560

I don't blame you.

1561

I'd rather be sleeping.

1562

Yeah, exactly.

1563

Nice talking to you.

1564

You too, have a nice, I was gonna say have a nice night, but have a good day.

1565

You have a good day too.

1566

Ah, thank you so much.

1567

Thank you.

1568

French toast and the eggs and bacon.

1569

Amazing.

1570

More coffee?

1571

Yeah, I'll take another one please.

1572

Thank you so much.

1573

You're so welcome, enjoy.

1574

Cheers.

1575

I've never eaten so many pancakes, waffles and now French toast on this trip.

1576

Right, we're looking good.

1577

French toast, scrambled egg, bacon.

1578

Let's give this a go.

1579

Denny's scrambled egg, not bad.

1580

Do you know what?

1581

Going to these diners at 2 o'clock in the morning, I thought was going to be really sketchy.

1582

But everybody's just so friendly.

1583

Right, let's go and get the bill.

1584

Thank you so much for everything, I really appreciate it.

1585

You're welcome.

1586

Nice to meet you.

1587

Nice meeting you.

1588

17.54.

1589

Perfect.

1590

Can I put a tip on there as well?

1591

Yes.

1592

It's okay.

1593

I'm okay for a receipt.

1594

It was so nice to meet you.

1595

Have a lovely weekend anyway.

1596

See you later.

1597

All the best.

1598

Bye.

1599

And that's it for Denny's.

1600

One last thing.

1601

Don't forget the WhatNot giveaway.

1602

To enter the giveaway, sign up using the link below

1603

and either spend some of the free credit or comment your WhatNot username.

1604

Good luck and I'm off to bed.

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412 sentences

🥞 Short Stack or Full Stack? Ordering Pancakes at an American Diner | Slow and Easy English Story

Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation

53 sentences

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

If you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more natural in everyday conversations, this video is gold. It captures real-time, casual speech—the kind you’d use at a diner, on a road trip, or chatting with strangers. The speaker’s mix of excitement, curiosity, and small talk mirrors situations you might face, making it perfect for shadowing technique practice. By mimicking their tone, pauses, and flow, you’ll learn to sound less scripted and more like a native. Plus, it’s a fun way to explore American culture—who doesn’t love late-night diner stories?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Let’s break down 3 key phrases that make the dialogue feel authentic:

“I’ve just landed… picked up the rental car”: The present perfect (“I’ve just landed”) connects a recent action to the current moment, a common structure in storytelling. Pairing it with simple past (“picked up”) shows sequence—great for explaining your day or travel plans.
“Is it going to be sketchy?”: “Sketchy” is a casual term for “suspicious” or “unsafe,” and the future continuous (“going to be”) expresses uncertainty. This is how native speakers ask about potential risks in a relaxed way—useful for asking friends if a new spot is safe.
“Put the cherry on top of your summer with a banana split”: This idiom (“put the cherry on top”) means “to make something perfect.” It’s playful and vivid, ideal for adding flair to descriptions (e.g., “Adding chocolate sauce puts the cherry on top of my morning coffee”).

Common Pronunciation Traps

American accents and fast speech can trip up learners—here are 2 tricky spots to watch:

“Denny’s” vs. “Dots”: The speaker says “Denny’s” with a soft “e” (like “hen”) and “Dots” with a short “o” (like “hot”). Mixing these up could lead to confusion—practice saying them slowly, then speed up to match the video.
“I can’t say I’ve ever been”: The contraction “can’t” is often reduced to “can’t” (with a glottal stop, not a clear “t”) in fast speech. Listen closely—you might hear it as “can’t say I’ve ever been” instead of “can not say.” Mimicking this reduction will make your speech sound more natural.

Ready to level up? Try shadow speak with the video: pause, repeat, and focus on matching the speaker’s rhythm. You’ll not only improve pronunciation but also build confidence in real-world conversations—just like the speaker at that midnight diner.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to be · used to when
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've just landed · have never done · I've never been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is called · were stationed · be offended
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the best · the longest · the most fat

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: I Tried American Diners After Midnight - Learn English Speaking with Video

🥞 Short Stack or Full Stack? Ordering Pancakes at an American Diner | Slow and Easy English Story

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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Common Pronunciation Traps

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?