Funk ‘n Waffles: Syracuse’s ‘safe haven for musicians’

By: Sydney Froelich

The first act of open-mic night takes the stage to sing an original. Photo by: Sydney Froelich

The tables at Funk ‘n Waffles in downtown Syracuse turn into front-row seats several nights a week. 

Guitars rest against chairs, microphone cords screech as they’re plugged in, and the usual chatter of a restaurant fades into applause as a local artist takes the stage.

On open-mic Sundays, a mix of students, regulars, and first-time visitors come together to discover new voices they have not heard of before. 

“It’s become a huge part of Funk ‘n Waffles,” says venue manager Lucas Reiter, "because it’s another opportunity for these smaller artists, or smaller musicians, comedians, whoever, to have a safe space to share their art judgment-free.” 

Funk ‘n Waffles has been a local go-to since 2006, thanks to two college students who had a waffle maker and a dream.

Funk 'n Waffles stays open throughout the evening until 12 a.m. Photo by: Sydney Froelich

Adam Gold and Kyle Corea were juniors at Syracuse University when they realized that their late-night waffle experiments were too good to keep to themselves. 

According to Funk ‘n Waffles, those late-night concoctions inspired them to throw parties where they served free waffles against the backdrop of live music. The response was so positive that they eventually started setting up waffle stations at local bars while their favorite bands performed. 

And nearly two decades later, the combination of waffles and live music is still what defines the Funk ‘n Waffles experience. 

“Our owner, Adam [Gold], is a key player in Sophistifunk,” Reiter said, referencing Gold’s Syracuse-based funk band. “He modeled this whole thing for artists to come and have a safe place to express their art.”

Open-mic nights are just one of the ways that Funk ‘n Waffles lets its customers shine. What started as a college party tradition now brings together performers from all across Central New York –  musicians, poets, and even people stepping on stage for the first time.

As Reiter sees it, that is what keeps the place so special. 

“Open mic night…it's a nurturing crowd…It's a bunch of musicians getting together who may know each other, who may not know each other, and just sharing their art.” 

Each Sunday, the open mic night doubles as a weekly event and as a representation of Syracuse’s tight-knit music scene. Familiar faces return to see people perform an original song or play the piano. Even newcomers often find themselves becoming regulars. 

“We also always have people coming in that either walk by and they see ‘open mic night here’, and then they learn it's every week, and then they become a regular,” said Reiter. 

The loyalty of the Syracuse music scene, he explained, is what kept the local music moving forward in a city that was recovering from the pandemic. 

“Ever since COVID hit…The music scene, just in general, it's still recovering,” he said.  “But I think the only struggle is really just getting people out and really wanting to see live music. Syracuse is a small, small community, and there's a lot of scenes, music-wise, that are so strong, but they're small.”

Regardless of those challenges, Funk ‘n Waffles remains a place where performers can find an audience, and where audiences can discover someone new. 

“There's not many places that you could see a concert and get chicken and waffles in the same place,” he said. ”The vision and the idea is really what sets us apart – just building off that idea of making it a safe haven for local musicians.”

No two nights look the same at Funk ‘n Waffles.

“Every Sunday, we have open mic. Every Monday, we have Dead night, which is a Grateful Dead cover band. Last night we had a performance, and it was a Halloween rock opera. They got the crowd involved.  It's what, really, I think, encapsulates Syracuse,” Reiter said.