ATLANTA – On Sept. 5, 1955, a small yellow-signed diner opened its doors in Avondale Estates, Georgia. Seventy years later, that single Waffle House has grown into a cultural institution with nearly 2,000 restaurants across 25 states.
What we know:
Founded by Joe Rogers Sr., a restaurant manager, and Tom Forkner, a real estate agent, the chain built its reputation on serving hearty food 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While waffles gave the restaurant its name, it was the hash browns — served “scattered, smothered, covered” and beyond — that cemented Waffle House in the Southern food tradition.
Over the decades, Waffle House became more than a restaurant. The Federal Emergency Management Agency even adopted the “Waffle House Index” as an informal measure of disaster severity: if a Waffle House is closed after a storm, conditions are dire.
Its cultural reach has extended into music, late-night comedy, and road-trip lore, making the diner a backdrop for both everyday meals and unforgettable moments. The chain’s first restaurant is now preserved as the Waffle House Museum, celebrating its roots and memorabilia from the brand’s seven decades.
As the company celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2025, Waffle House remains a gathering spot for shift workers, college students, families, and travelers. The recipe for success has stayed simple: hot coffee, a warm grill, and a place that never turns off the lights.
Waffle House Fast Facts
- 70 years since the first diner opened on Sept. 5, 1955
- 1,900+ restaurants across 25 states
- Employs more than 40,000 people
- It was named after its most expensive item on the menu when it opened
- Atlanta has the most Waffle Houses of any city
- 124 waffles served yearly
- 85 million strips of bacon cooked yearly
- 153 million hashbrown orders taken each year
- 272 million eggs used each year
- 58 million cups of coffee poured each year
- 10 million chicken breasts cooked each year
- Has grilled more than 134 million T-bone steaks since 1955
- Once sold Chick-fil-A sandwiches
- 272 orders of hash browns per minute scattered, smothered, and covered
- Has its own record label that creates breakfast-themed music, including “There Are Raisins In My Toast”
- Referenced in popular music such as Jermaine Dupri’s “Welcome to Atlanta” and Hootie & Blowfish album “Scattered, Smothered and Covered”
- 10,000+ employees company-wide
- Open 24/7 365 days of the year
- 1 museum: the original 1955 Avondale Estates restaurant, now the Waffle House Museum
SOURCES
