Harada Visits Waffle House After Fan Stage Talk

From Manchester to the wider fighting game scene, Katsuhiro Harada has long been a name fans associate with bold stage ideas, and now his Waffle House visit has given the old meme fresh life. EventHubs reports that the former Tekken director stopped by the chain after years of fan requests to see it turned into a fighting game arena.

Harada shared images from the visit on social media, saying the staff were “always friendly” and that he bought a menu for five dollars. He also joked that he would return at “3 a.m. for fight time”, a clear nod to the late-night reputation that helped the Waffle House stage idea spread in the first place.

The request itself has been around for more than two years, built on Waffle House’s 24-hour service and the viral clips that made it a shorthand for chaotic late-night brawls. Harada had also tried to contact Waffle House directly before, but EventHubs says the company did not respond.

That leaves the idea in familiar territory for fighting game fans, part joke, part genuine wish. Harada has floated a workaround called “Hustle House”, which keeps the spirit of the request without using the brand name directly. For more RetroShell coverage of fighting game news, see our News tag.

There is also a wider studio angle here. Harada ended his thirty-year run at Bandai Namco at the close of 2025, and he has since helped form VS Studio with SNK. He has said he wants to make a new competitive video game, although the genre has not been confirmed.

That makes the new studio the most likely place for a spiritual successor to the Waffle House idea, if Harada does return to a fighting game. For now, the concept remains unofficial, and fans will have to make do with the meme, the speculation, and the occasional mod while they wait to see what VS Studio does next.