Waffle House
Casual dining | |
Founded | September 5, 1955 Avondale Estates, Georgia, United States |
---|---|
Founders | Joe Rogers Tom Forkner |
Headquarters | 5986 Financial Drive, , United States |
Number of locations | 1,973[1] |
Area served | 25 U.S. states |
Key people | Walter G. Ehmer (President and CEO) |
Products | Waffles, breakfast food, sandwiches |
Revenue | $1 billion[2] |
Number of employees | 40,000[3] |
Subsidiaries | WH Capital, L.L.C. |
Website | wafflehouse |
Waffle House, Inc. is an American
History
Founding
The first Waffle House opened on
Rogers's concept was to combine the speed of fast food with table service with around-the-clock availability.[5] Forkner suggested naming the restaurant "Waffle House", as waffles were the most profitable item on the 16-item menu.[5] Rogers continued to work with Toddle House, and to avoid conflict of interest, sold his interest to Forkner in 1956.
1960s-1990s
In 1960, when Rogers asked to buy into Toddle House, and they refused, he moved back to Atlanta and rejoined Waffle House, now a chain of three restaurants, to run restaurant operations.[12] Shortly after Joe returned full-time, Tom followed suit and left Ben S. Forkner Realty.
After opening a fourth restaurant in 1960, the company began franchising its restaurants and slowly grew to 27 stores by the late 1960s, before growth accelerated.
2000-present
In 2007, Waffle House repurchased the original restaurant, which had been sold by the chain in the early 1970s. The company restored it using original blueprints for use as a private company museum. The museum is used primarily for internal corporate events and tours.[13][14]
In 2008, one of the biggest Waffle House franchises in the southeast, North Lake Foods, was bought out by Waffle House, Inc. North Lake Foods filed for
The founders of the Waffle House brand died in 2017 within less than two months of each other: Joe Rogers Sr. died on March 3 and Tom Forkner on April 26.[16]
Operations
Each Waffle House location is open 24 hours daily. This schedule has inspired the urban myth that "Waffle House doors have no locks".[17] The chain's restaurants almost always have
The company claims to be the world's leading seller of several of its menu items—the namesake waffles, ham, pork chops, grits, and T-bone steaks. It also claims that it serves 2% of all eggs in the U.S.[21]
In the 1960s, S. Truett Cathy, the owner of a local diner called the Dwarf House, contracted with Waffle House to sell his proprietary chicken sandwich, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. However, the Chick-fil-A sandwich quickly overtook Waffle House's own items in sales and Waffle House ended the deal, prompting Cathy to spin off Chick-fil-A into its own chain.[22]
Waffle and Steak
For years, Waffle House was known as "Waffle and Steak" in Indiana due to another chain of restaurants owning the rights to the Waffle House name in the state.
Food safety
In 2004, in response to a serious
On September 17, 2019, customers who ate at a Waffle House in
Cultural icon
As with other open-all-night eateries (including White Castle, Krystal, Denny's, Steak 'n Shake, IHOP and Krispy Kreme, as well as convenience store chain Sheetz), Waffle House has developed into a cultural icon. Part of their fame (especially that of Waffle House) is that they are so prominent along Interstate highways in the South.
Disaster recovery
According to the
See also
References
- ^ "How many Waffle House stores are there in the United States". ScreapHero. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Waffle House Chairman Joe Rogers Jr. Debuts as a Billionaire as Restaurant Industry Digs Out from Wreckage". Forbes.
- ^ "Our Story".
- ^ a b "History". Waffle House. August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Waffle House still dishin' diner food at 50 - Business - US business - Food Inc. | NBC News". NBC News. Associated Press. August 15, 2005. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- Mashed. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Contact us". www.wafflehouse.com. Norcross, GA: Waffle House. 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "A State of Innovation: Waffle House". Georgia Historical Society. July 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "TODAY IN HISTORY: Waffle House opened its doors 68 years ago in metro Atlanta". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ Sharpe, Joshua (April 27, 2017). "Waffle House co-founder dies at 98, a month after business partner". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ "Waffle House's 1955 menu offered this ritzy dish for just $1.50". WJBF. August 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Osinski, Bill (December 24, 2004). "The Cornerstone of Waffle House". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018.
- ^ "Waffle House Museum, Decatur, Georgia". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Chopra, Sonia (July 18, 2013). "A Look at the First-Ever Waffle House, Now the World's Only Waffle House Museum". Eater Atlanta. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Collier, Joe Guy (August 5, 2009). "Bankrupt Waffle House franchisee draws bids". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019.
- ^ Sharpe, Joshua (April 27, 2017). "Waffle House co-founder dies a month after his business partner". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019.
- ^ Howard, Mike. "People business". Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "People business". Waffle House. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ^ "A B-Side With Your Bacon? Waffle House Has Its Own Music Label". NPR.org. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Waffle House Records". Waffle House. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011.
- ^ Wilson, Dave (October 19, 2017). "Is this heaven? No, it's a Waffle House". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ "12 Things You Didn't Know About Waffle House". January 16, 2016.
- ^ [1] Archived May 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Does anyone else remember the old Indiana Waffle Houses?". June 9, 2023.
- ^ [2] Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Secretary of State - Business Services Division". Secure.in.gov. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Contrera, Jessica (October 21, 2013). "The end of the Waffle House". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ "Marler Clark announces settlement of 49 Chili's Salmonella Claims". Prweb.com. August 12, 2004. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ "Jack in the Box E. coli Outbreak Lawsuits - Western States (1993)". Marlerclark.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ "How safe are your favorite restaurants?". Marlerclark.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ "Restaurants respond to rankings - Dateline NBC - Consumer Alert | NBC News". NBC News. September 28, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Rivera, Ray (September 18, 2019). "DHEC: Customers who ate at Goose Creek Waffle House may have been exposed to Hepatitis A". live5news.com. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "How to Measure a Storm's Fury One Breakfast at a Time". Wall Street Journal. September 1, 2011.
- ^ "How Waffle House Became A Disaster Indicator For FEMA". Popular Science. March 18, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "What Do Waffles Have to Do with Risk Management?". EHS Today. July 6, 2011.
- ^ If Waffle House Is Closed, It's Time to Panic By Maryn McKenna for FiveThirtyEight December 6, 2016
- ^ Tenney, Garrett (March 26, 2015). "When disaster strikes, FEMA turns to ... Waffle House". Fox News. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
External links
- The first Waffle House restaurant as seen in a then/now photo.
- EEOC vs. Waffle House, Inc.
- Waffle House historical marker
- Waffle House locations map
- Waffle House Waffle House Locations In USA