They may not be Georgia-based Waffle House’s signature or most profitable menu item, but true fans of the franchise will tell you those hash browns in all their crispy glory are not to be overlooked.

Whether you’re new to the Southern diner or just too shy to ask your clearly swamped waitress about the staggering number of possible potato combinations, brushing up on the basics of Waffle House hash brown vernacular will only serve you well on your next visit. The lingo, according to the restaurant chain, first gained traction in the mid-1980s.

To begin, Waffle House hash browns come “scattered” in three different sizes: regular, large or triple.

If you just want plain ol’ hash browns, order yourself a regular ‘browns, scattered.

Itching for a bit more oomph? Ask for hash browns scattered on the grill with any of the following:

Smothered hash browns from Waffle House with grilled onions.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Smothered: sautéed with onions

Covered hash browns from Waffle House with melted cheese.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Covered: with melted American cheese

Chunked hash browns from Waffle House with hickory smoked ham.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Chunked: with chunks of grilled hickory smoked ham

Diced hasbrowns from Waffle House with grilled tomatoes.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Diced: some grilled tomatoes for juice

Peppered hash browns from Waffle House with jalapeno peppers.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Peppered: fired up with spicy jalapeño peppers

Capped hash browns from Waffle House with grilled mushrooms.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Capped: adorned with grilled button mushrooms

Topped hash browns from Waffle House with Bert's Chili.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Topped: prepared with Bert's Chili, a combination of chili beans, Jimmy Dean sausage, tomato, onions and more

Country hash browns from Waffle House with sausage gravy.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Country: with sausage gravy poured atop

You can combine any of those to your liking, and even order your hash browns “all the way” with all eight of the above toppings.

Diced (from left), peppered and covered are some of your hash brown options at Waffle House. CONTRIBUTED BY HENRI HOLLIS

The restaurant chain actually claims there are 1,572,864 possible hash brown combos, which isn’t totally a lie. The number considers Waffle House’s four hash brown preparation methods (plain with oil, seared well, steamed with ice or cooked dry), three sizes and 18 additional ingredients (think ketchup, jalapeños, etc.). But if you only consider the three sizes and eight “scattered” hash brown styles above, you might conclude there are actually 768 different combinations available.

“I have seen people have a triple order of hash browns covered with everything you can imagine for breakfast,” Jim Hosseini, executive vice president and former Waffle House manager, told Garden and Gun. “And it’s not like I’ve seen it one time. I see it almost every weekend. I tell myself, ‘They’ll never finish that.’ And then they do.”

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