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Music fills the air as a jazz band plays underneath purple and green lights. The audience claps and cheers for the band, bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to the rhythm.

Around the corner, customers take their pick from an extensive menu of sweet and savory waffles alike, some including gobs of ice cream or turkey on top. People sip cups of coffee or glasses of beer as they soak everything in.

It’s this very scene that’s gathered both food and music lovers at Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse’s Armory Square for the past 10 years.

Jarred Vryhof, a cook who’s been slinging waffles at the joint for the past 13 years, knows this well. The welcoming ambience allows all guests to feel the hospitality and love, he said.

“You can’t spell Funk ‘n Waffles without fun!” Vryhof said.

Vryhof pulls this joke on the kitchen staff to mess with them when it gets busy. The saying serves as a reminder of their aim to create a fun breakfast and food joint in Syracuse, he said.

This Sunday marks Funk ‘n Waffles’ 10-year anniversary of the opening of its S Clinton Street location, going from waffle-making house parties on Syracuse University’s campus in the early 2000s to their now decade-old restaurant.

To celebrate the milestone, owner Adam Gold’s band, Sophistafunk, will play on Sunday, exactly 10 years from when the location opened on Dec. 8, 2014. Pearly Baker’s Best and Sophistafunk were the first two bands to play at the downtown location and both will hold performances for the four-day celebration this weekend.

Known for its range of live music and waffles, Gold started Funk ‘n Waffles with close friend Kyle Corea after they graduated from SU. After Corea left the business in 2012, Gold took full ownership.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

Funk n’ Waffles owner Adam Gold stands in front of a mural from the restaurant’s original location, their home for 17 years before moving to S Clinton St.

They moved from parties on campus, to their old Marshall Street location, and now to Armory Square, where Gold said their waffles are better than ever before. The cooks and staff are always trying to learn how to make more things on their menu from scratch, improving recipes each year, Gold said.

Some staff members, like Vryhof, have been around since the University Hill days, and they’ve witnessed the growth of the downtown location. Those guys are part of the family, Gold said.

The campus location had its own special quirks, but Gold and his staff enjoy being in the heart of Syracuse, he said. Their Marshall Street location was in an alleyway basement with no windows and a leaky roof from the bar above. Now, they own their building and have consistently kept up with renovations and new additions.

Everything Funk ‘n Waffles offers has remained the same in the past 10 years at the newer location, like Grateful Dead Mondays and touring bands on the weekend. The nightly live shows and high-quality food is what’s consistent about Funk ‘n Waffles, Gold said. The key elements in building their restaurant community include funky music and good food.

Twenty-one year old Joe Capobianco, Funk ‘n Waffles’ front-of-house manager, goes around the restaurant replacing empty syrup bottles with full ones as the music continues to play. He’s been working at the waffle shop for two and a half years, but he feels right at home in the place that’s been around since he was young.

Describing his experience so far as “soul-healing,” Capobianco has beared witness to the comforting environment that’s made him feel like a part of the community.

“It’s a reinforcement of what a staple Funk ‘n Waffles is to the Syracuse area in the past 10 years, especially the downtown area,” Capobianco said.

Vryhof said that after the restaurant’s 2012 feature on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” it cemented them as a food staple in the Syracuse area. Customers began to come from across the country, and even the world, to taste for themselves what the food and music is all about, he said.

Customers echo Capobianco’s sentiments, saying they feel the comfortable, yet spunky vibe of the environment. Ariyanna Humphrey comes from Cicero to visit Funk ‘n Waffles, trying something new everytime she comes in.

“It’s a comforting thing to walk into a place and be like, ‘It’s kind of weird in here, but I like it,’” Humphrey said.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

Whipped cream is swirled atop freshly sliced strawberries on a buttermilk waffle. The dish is called “Star Child,” one of Funk ‘n Waffles’ featured sweet treats. The restaurant serves various sweet and savory waffles, along with breakfast foods, sandwiches, milkshakes and coffee.

The S Clinton Street location differs from its predecessors because of its colorful artworks and greater amount of space. Gold said they now can hold up to 200 people in this location, and Vryhof appreciates having more elbow room in the kitchen. The space allows them to have a full bar that serves alcohol right by the stage where the bands perform. Customers can get a coffee by day or a glass of wine by night.

Funk ‘n Waffles stays open from 9-12 a.m. Thursday-Monday, meaning it can host five nights of shows a week, something that’s hard to find for a music venue, Gold said. Hot waffles are served all day and night for the music-goers, corporate workers and SU students who come to visit every week.

The business implemented their own food truck a few years ago, which has been successful and allowed them to do more catering across the area. Now, Funk ‘n Waffles is a part of people’s weddings and graduations, an exciting addition for them, Vryhof said.

“Being able to see that growth in 10 years has been really cool to see,” Vryhof said.

With more room, Funk ‘n Waffles has brought in larger bands and artists from across the area over the years, as well as SU student musicians. Gold himself has been playing in bands his whole life, so music and live shows are at the core of what they do, he said.

“It’s Funk ‘n Waffles, you know, it’s funk first,” Gold said. “It’s always been about music. I think that’s what sets us apart is the music element.”

People of all ages and backgrounds can come out to listen to live music from a multitude of genres on almost any night of the week, Capobianco said. No one comes to Funk ‘n Waffles for just any one thing; it’s the atmosphere, the food and the shows, he said.

Besides Gold always having some variation of a flashy shirt on, Vryhof said the great food and lively environment is what gives them their unique place in the Syracuse food landscape. People can enjoy a nice breakfast or come out at night and get rowdy with them, he said.

This weekend is a full circle moment for the staff at Funk ‘n Waffles, as well as the regulars that have been coming for the past 10 or more years. Gold assures them they’re not going anywhere. The funky music and eccentric waffle options are here to stay.

“There’s always something going on at Funk,” Gold said.

Published on December 5, 2024 at 1:20 am