8 Things You Didn't Know About Waffle House
Discover the wonders behind the waffles.
Sure, you know that it's the best place to go for a cheap cup of coffee and some great people watching, but we bet you didn't know these 12 surprising facts about the 60-year-old Georgia-based chain.
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Atlanta has more Waffle Houses than any other city in America.
There are more than 2,100 Waffle House locations spread across 25 U.S. states, mostly in the South. But with 381 WaHos, Georgia has more locations than any other state—and more than 132 of those are in Atlanta, according to Thrillist. (South Carolina comes in second with 144 locations.)
The first Waffle House was opened on Labor Day in 1955.
Waffle House was the brainchild of two men named Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner, who met when Rogers purchased a house in Avondale Estates, Georgia from Forkner in 1949. At the time, Rogers was working for the Tennessee-based diner chain Toddle House, while Forkner was working in local real estate. The two men decided they wanted to open a restaurant that focused on people, and combined the speed of fast food with the novelty of 24-hour table service. (At the time, there was only one other Atlanta restaurant that offered around-the-clock service.)
Waffle House was named after the biggest moneymaker on its original 16-item menu.
It was Forkner that came up with the idea to name the restaurant Waffle House. "It was the highest profit item you could do, so I said, 'Call it Waffle House and encourage people to eat waffles,'" Forkner told the Associated Press. Waffles are not necessarily designed for take-out, so the men thought the moniker would also let people know it was a place where they could sit down and stay awhile.
There's a Waffle House museum.
The original Waffle House in Avondale Estates, Georgia has been turned into a museum, which is open to the public by appointment. Visitors can explore the restaurant, which has been restored to look just as it did when it opened in 1955. Also on display: Waffle House memorabilia from the past 60 years. To book an appointment, call 770-326-7086—and be sure to reach out at least 48 hours in advance.
It's an urban myth that Waffle Houses have no locks.
While it's true that Waffle Houses are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (even on Christmas!), it's not true that the restaurants don't have locks on the doors, according to the Waffle House website. (Also not true: The keys to each new location are buried in the cement sidewalk out front.)
FEMA uses a "Waffle House Index" to measure the severity of natural disasters.
It's a point of pride for Waffle House that its restaurants are open 24/7—even during severe natural disasters. In fact, the restaurants are fully prepared to operate without power and when supplies are low. Because of this, FEMA officials have confirmed that they partially gauge how hard a hurricane or tornado has hit any given area by using the "Waffle House Index." Essentially, if a Waffle House is closed, FEMA knows that town needs aid ASAP. According to the scale, Code Green means the full Waffle House menu is being served and all is running normally, Code Yellow means a limited menu is being served and electricity may be cut off, and Code Red means the WaHo is closed and the situation is serious.
Waffle House used to sell Chick-fil-A sandwiches.
According to Eater, Waffle House was once licensed to sell chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, which is also headquartered in an Atlanta suburb. However, the sandwiches allegedly got so popular that people stopped ordering items off of Waffle House's regular menu, and so WaHo decided to back out of the deal.
Waffle House used to be known as Waffle & Steak in Indiana.
Thanks to the fact that another chain of restaurants owned the rights to the name "Waffle House" in Indiana before WaHo began opening franchises there during the 1970s, Waffle House was known as "Waffle & Steak" in the Hoosier State for many years. But in 2005, Indiana's Waffle & Steak restaurants were finally able to switch over to the Waffle House name.
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