The next Waffle House in New Orleans is slated for Canal Street, about two blocks off of Broad — but it won’t be just any Waffle House.

The restaurant at 2500 Canal Street will include an outdoor seating area located on the South Rocheblave Street side of the corner lot, said Bob Pence, a Waffle House real-estate executive from the company’s Atlanta headquarters. The Canal Street Waffle House, Pence said, will be the only Waffle House with this feature.

“We’re actually providing something we’ve never provided on another restaurant we’ve ever done, with a little side bistro courtyard area,” Pence said last week at a meeting of the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustments. “So I think that once we get this built, you will see that it’s probably the fanciest Waffle House restaurant you will ever see. We tried to make it look a little New Orleans-ish.”

The 12,139 square foot area was once a used car shop, but is now a vacant lot. The proposed restaurant will be one-story and 1,719 square feet, according to the proposal.

The city planning staff recommended the plans for approval, but denied a part of the request. According to the proposal, the applicant requested to provide a 5-foot front yard depth instead of the required 20-foot yard depth, and requested a waiver for 15 feet.

According to the city planning staff, the building should be moved up to the required 20 feet, not only because other businesses along Canal Street do so, but also because it would take away the character of the area.

“The CPC staff’s recommendations primarily stressed that the building should establish greater presence on Canal Street by reorienting it and placing it on the Canal and S. Rocheblave Streets property lines,” the report stated.

“Moving the building to the Canal Street front property line would not only support the historic character of this major urban corridor but would also utilize the site in a more efficient way,” the report stated.

The board accepted the staff’s recommendation for approval of the restaurant, but denied the 5 foot front yard depth with a unanimous vote.

“Thank you for your cooperation and working with us,” BZA member Todd James said to Pence after the vote, “and I’ll be waiting on some hot waffles.”