Lana Del Rey explains the story behind viral waitressing gig at Waffle House

Lana Del Rey has opened up about going viral when she was spotted waitressing at a Waffle House in Alabama.

The singer, 38, broke her silence about her brief gig at the restaurant in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on 20 September. Her recent comments come two months after she was seen standing behind the counter of a Waffle House making coffee and dressed in the brand’s signature uniform: a blue button-up shirt, black shorts, and a name tag.

During her conversation with THR, she recalled that she had visited the Waffle House with her brother and sister after a trip to Florence, Alabama. However, according to Del Rey, she initially didn’t plan on working at the restaurant.

“We were on our third hour, and the servers asked: ‘Do you guys want shirts?’” she explained. “Hell yeah! We were thrilled.”

In July, the restaurant’s manager posted a video of the singer working behind the counter to Facebook and it quickly went viral. Along with snaps of her pouring coffee, an Instagram fan account also shared pictures of Del Rey talking to customers and posing with fans.

As the “Summertime Sadness” singer recalled how fans were confused by the waitressing job, she went on to explain how Waffle House workers had simply encouraged her to serve customers for fun.

“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,” she explained, before clarifying that the customer spit his chewing tobacco into the cup.

However, Del Rey didn’t realise her interactions at the Waffle House were being filmed, explaining: “I didn’t see anyone take a video of me.”

During the interview, she also joked about how she wanted her albums to make headlines in the same way as her Waffle House gig. “I wish my album had gone as viral. I woke up to, like, 10,000 texts the next morning - some from folks I had not heard from for 10 years: ‘Saw your picture at the Waffle House!’ I was like: ‘Did you hear the new album?’” she said, referring to her album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which was released in March.

Back in July, many fans spoke about meeting Del Rey at the Alabama-based restaurant. One resident named Karina Cisneros Juarez detailed the exciting experience on Facebook. According to AL.com, she also shared a selfie with the celebrity.

“To say I am ecstatic is an understatement!!!” Juarez posted on her Facebook profile. “I have been a huuuge fan of Lana Del Rey for over a decade, so meeting her today was truly insane.”

Speaking to AL.com, Juarez shared more details about her interaction with the “Video Games” singer. “It was a bit surreal. I just told her how much I loved her music and her work in general,” the fan said. “She was super lovely, and incredibly nice.”

Elsewhere in her interview with THR, Del Rey opened up about how she feels about going on tour this year for her new album. She explained that in comparison to her previous tours, her upcoming one will be “totally different”.

“There are more people on that stage with me, so I’m more comfortable. But even if it was just a one-off show and it was just me in the spotlight, I’d be much more equipped now. I have experience,” she said. “I’ve toured just off of YouTube since before I had an album. But right now, I’m excited. I don’t feel nervous to tour.”