By Kyle Coppola
Waffle House Set to Open Soon in Lady Lake
LADY LAKE, Fla. — A new Waffle House is on the verge of opening in Lady Lake, providing residents with a 24-hour dining option that is golf cart-accessible from The Villages. The Waffle House is located in front of BJ’s in Lady Lake and in back of USB Bank.
According to Jared Oberholtzer of the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners, the restaurant has received both site conformance approval and its Certificate of Occupancy. Staff have been seen training over the past few days, signaling that an official opening could be just days away. However, no specific date has been announced, as the timing likely depends on staff readiness.
(The signature waffle house mailbox outside the main building is a nice touch.)
Located near the Summerfield border in a high-traffic area experiencing rapid development, the Waffle House will offer Villages residents a closer option for their signature breakfast and late-night meals. The restaurant includes designated parking for golf carts, though carts must be street-legal and registered to access the roads leading to the location.
(Staff are now training. Soon they will be serving warm breakfast meals to the public such as this. Photo Credit – Waffle House.)
The new Waffle House arrives as the area continues to see a surge in activity, fueled by two recently constructed apartment complexes behind BJ’s and an increase in local retail traffic. While anticipation for the opening is high, some residents have expressed concerns about the impact on traffic in an already congested corridor. This is a very busy section of Lady Lake and I personally drive this every day. I can tell everyone to please drive with caution and care in this area. I can’t stress enough how dangerous this area can be for golf-carts in particular so please be vigilant and have patience with one another.
(In this shot to the left of the sign you can see a small golf cart spot. These stretch along the back of the parking lot and there’s plenty of spaces.)
Despite potential congestion, the addition of Waffle House is expected to be a welcome convenience for local diners seeking an all-hours eatery. They will join Denny’s across the street as an all-hours diner.
When Waffle House opens officially we will be sure to update you all. It won’t be long now…
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
