Katz and I  had a dream - that one day we would open an English Tea Room in the historic town of Dahlonega , GA.

We got  little sidetracked and decided to try our hand at retail.  In 2020, as the Covid pandemic hit , we opened Crown and Bear in the historic Dahlonega Square. Crown and Bear is a British Foods and Gift store, proudly bringing a little  slice of my home country to the North Georgia Mountains. 

Please come and visit us at 30 Public Square Upper, right next to the Picnic Cafe.

The historic Head House  had been on the market for 17 years and was in need of a lot of tender loving care.  Fortunately the City of Dahlonega stepped in to save her. She was completely gutted, renovated, and then moved more centrally on the lot. Built By Dr. Homer Head for his new bride Nina at the turn of the 20th century, the House has been through many incarnations. First as a family home. a medical practice, a boarding house and ending after Ricks Restaurant shuttered its doors. The house was returned to her former glory, just waiting for someone to give her new life.

After securing the lease to turn the ground floor of the Head House into an English Tea Room, we got to work, taking inspiration from her Victorian beginnings.

With zero experience in the hospitality business I drew on my own experience of tea time growing up in Surrey, England. Slowly and with a few hiccups on the way, Waffle's English Tea Room began to take shape.

It took several months to pull the design together. We had never built a kitchen from scratch before and we knew that if we made mistakes at this stage it would be a very expensive error! Designing the interior was a pure joy, we wanted to make it seem like our guests had been invited over to our home for tea! 

Now what were we to name the tearoom? We decided on 'Waffles' but why? This is one of the most asked questions that we get from our guests. Waffle is Katz' Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the mascot of the tea room. he loves nothing more than putting on his tux ( yes he has one!) and greeting our customers at the door. Our younger guests love to feed Waffle his favourite snack - blueberries!

Waffle's opens its doors! 

We were overwhelmed by the support we received from our local community. We were worried that no one would show up - but they did. 

We have welcomed old friends and made many new friends at Waffle's and we hope that we can continue to do that for as long as we can!

We were honored to partner with The Cute North Georgian to host our first ever Gilmore Girl Tea and were featured in the The Cute North Georgian. We realized that tea and coffee lovers could coexist peacefully. Our "Gilmore Girls" themed tea service launched, blending Yale-worthy elegance with diner-style comfort. It remains a testament to our belief that tea should be as much about the story as it is about the brew.

Thanks to incredible votes of our supporters we were honored to be awarded the Best of Georgia Regional Award of 2024. This recognition highlights the wonderful community that gathers around our tables. Our tea room is only as special as the guests who fill it, and we are so honored to be a part of your lives and traditions."

Every year we honor our mothers with a special Mother's Day tea. We were featured on Fox 5 Atlanta by reporter Paul Milliken. Check out the feature at North Georgia tea room brews up Mother’s Day memories.

We couldn’t have asked for a better way to close out the year! Thanks to your support, Waffle’s Tea Room received the Best of Georgia Regional Award for Specialty Food. This achievement celebrates our commitment to the craft and the community, proving that when you prioritize quality and tradition, people notice.