“Moonlighting as a Waitress at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama” sounds like it could be the title of pop star Lana Del Rey’s next Americana-infused album. Now, after summer sightings of the singer doing just that, Del Rey has revealed in a recent interview what was actually going on.
On Sept. 20, Del Rey gave an interview to the Hollywood Reporter, reflecting on her career so far, musicians who count themselves among her admirers, including Bruce Springsteen and Billie Eilish.
The interview, though, opens on what so many of her fans theorized about two months prior: her being spotted in uniform at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama.
Back in July, reports and social media posts began popping up showing the six-time Grammy-nominated recording artist at several spots around Florence. Not only did she pose for photos and selfies with fans at a local nail salon and a Texas Roadhouse restaurant, she was also spotted at a Waffle House in the area.
Why was Lana Del Rey working at Waffle House?
According to the star, a casual morning visit to the diner chain turned into an hours-long hangout and snowballed into a viral moment.
“We were on our third hour, and the servers asked, ‘Do you guys want shirts?’” Del Rey recounted to the Hollywood Reporter. “Hell yeah! We were thrilled.”
Del Rey explained that while wearing her uniform, a Waffle House manager asked the star to fulfill a simple request.
“This guy, a regular, comes in every day and orders two things, so they were like, ‘Just go get it for him!’ I brought him a Coke. No ice. And an empty cup,” Del Rey said, adding that the empty cup was for chewing tobacco.
After, the restaurant’s manager, who goes unnamed in the interview, posted a short clip to Facebook, which set off the rumor mill.
The Hollywood Reporter story also notes that Del Rey has “family ties” to the small town and the ability to make fast friends.
Making friends and meeting fans at Waffle House
In fact, she befriended a Waffle House worker named LaShawn D. Tuttle, according to a pair of posts on Facebook from July.
“Had so much fun with Lana Del Rey, she is so humble , funny and such a good sport!!” Tuttle wrote on Facebook, posting pictures and video on July 20. In the post, Del Rey can be seen pouring coffee in uniform, complete with a name tag that says “Lana,” chatting with customers and speaking with her brother, Charlie Grant, who is also seated at the restaurant, though not in uniform.
Tuttle additionally also appears to have met Del Rey prior to the singer’s adventure at the diner chain, posing for photos out of uniform in a July 19 post.
“There is no Summertime Sadness here!!” Tuttle wrote, posing for selfies in front of the Great American Thrift Store in Florence, Alabama, according to a later comment. “Just Lana Del Rey, Dylan,& I !!”
Tuttle wasn’t the only person to score some time with the singer: A few lucky fans caught her while she was in the restaurant and even in the parking lot, getting selfies and more.
“To say I am ecstatic is an understatement!!! LANITA ❤️ I have been a huuuge fan of Lana Del Rey for over a decade, so meeting her today was truly insane,” wrote Karina Cisneros Juarez on Facebook.
In addition to a selfie, Juarez included a photo of an autographed copy of Del Rey’s 2019 book of poetry “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass.”
Another fan even caught Del Rey in the parking lot.
“I may have gotten this poster from San Francisco,” TikToker Haley (@halnicolee) tells Del Rey in a TikTok video, unfurling a giant poster advertisement for the singer’s latest album.
“Did you steal this?” Del Rey asks the TikToker before dutifully laying the poster on the ground to sign it for her. In two other videos, the TikToker details her once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting a key piece of fan memorabilia.
“So, she put on a Waffle House outfit, and had, like the whole Waffle House to themselves,” Haley theorized in another TikTok video sharing the experience. “An old man is sitting in the corner and Lana Del Rey just bought a coffee out to him and he don’t even know what just happened.”
Meanwhile, another video shows Del Rey and an older gentleman singing “Amazing Grace” together.
Fan reaction at the time was a mixture of theories and jokes.
“is this what she meant when she said she wanted to explore other career paths in that one speech,” wrote one fan on LanaBoards.
“She serves in more ways than one,” another fan jokingly noted.
“This is the most Lana Del Rey thing Lana Del Rey has ever done imo 🤣,” tweeted another.
“I have so many questions,” wrote one Reddit user, to which another replied, “right like has anyone figured out why she’s doing this.”
“For Fun I guess. No other real explanation,” speculated another Redditor. (Turns out they were right about that!)
“The music she’ll write about the line cook will bring a tear to your eye,” tweeted yet another fan.
