Lenten Preaching Series and Waffle Shop

Dates and Times

Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026 11am
Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Friday, Feb 27, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Wednesday, Mar 4, 2026 11am
Thursday, Mar 5, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Friday, Mar 6, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2026 11am
Thursday, Mar 12, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Friday, Mar 13, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026 11am
Thursday, Mar 19, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
Friday, Mar 20, 2026 11am - 1:30pm
+ 3 more

Location

Details

The Most Unlikely Lunch Reservation in Memphis
Waffles, Fish Pudding, and Big Ideas at Calvary Church

At a time when lunch is usually eaten over keyboards or in cars, downtown Memphis still makes room for something slower—and stranger.

Each Lent, Calvary Episcopal Church opens its doors for a midday tradition that blends old-school Southern cooking, public conversation, and spiritual reflection. Locals call it simply: the Waffle Shop.

Returning Wednesdays through Fridays from February 19 through March 27, Calvary’s Waffle Shop marks its 98th year of feeding Memphians waffles, chicken hash, and the famously polarizing fish pudding—recipes that have changed little since the tradition began in 1928. Served by volunteers and eaten shoulder to shoulder with strangers and friends, the meals draw longtime devotees, first-timers, office workers, students, artists, clergy, and curious passersby.

What sets the Waffle Shop apart from any other lunch counter in the city is what happens at the same hour upstairs. At 12 p.m., Calvary’s Lenten Preaching Series begins in the church, continuing a noontime preaching tradition that dates back more than a century. The preaching and the Waffle Shop run concurrently, allowing people to choose one—or to move easily between the table and the sanctuary.

The Preaching Series is known nationally for its eclectic lineup, welcoming voices from across religious traditions as well as writers, activists, and cultural figures whose work reaches beyond church walls.