Waffle House

We’re older than IHOP… so we must be better!
THE WAFFLE HOUSE COULD BE COMING TO YOUR CITY!!!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PROFILE!
When Joe Rogers, Sr. bought a house from Tom Forkner in Avondale Estates, GA in 1949, neither one knew that their relationship would take them to the biggest, greatest breakfast food franchise/Warrior in the War Against Pancakes in the world… In 1955, the two opened a small restaurant with the goal of serving quality food to their neighbors…
Yes, their neighbors…
Food…
Not small kittens to exhibitionists in Japan…
Anyway, through the years, they added a restaurant here and a restaurant there, and now 50 years later that small chain of restaurants has multiplied into today’s Waffle House System of more than 1,470 restaurants in 25 states.
“We wanted a restaurant for our friends to come in and eat and visit with us, not one where we would eat our friends” Joe jokingly remarked, speaking of course of IHOP, their rival.
“It seemed like a good idea for that first restaurant,” recalled Tom. “It worked there and we then started opening new restaurants when we had the money, someone to run it and a great location. Unlike IHOP and their pancakes…”
They started the Waffle House experience of restaurants where friends would gather for quality food and quality conversation but not burn a hole in their wallets. They delivered personalized, friendly service by asking their employees to follow some simple rules that are still followed today like “To win friends, be one, not eat one” “A smile makes the food taste better, not dog and cat gluten” and “Who’s looking out for the Poor Old Cash Customer?”
Certainly not IHOP.
Their second mission was “A company is known by the people it keeps, not by the people it eats.” They wanted to treat their employees like family. So, to reward their employees who took care of the customer, they offered the opportunity to own stock in the company.
“Tom and I are not the ones who made this happen. It was the folks behind the counter taking care of the customer,” Joe said. “We just provided an opportunity for them to be successful.”
“I never thought that first restaurant would grow into what it is today,” Tom added.
“But I’m proud that it did, and that no injuries are a result of it.”
The two can be proud their legacy continues. They still visit restaurants to ensure the Waffle House standards (yes, unlike SOME four letter acronymic companies, Waffle House has standards…) they started of taking care of, and not in that murderous way, both the customers and associates continue in every restaurant today.
As we celebrate our 50th year in 2005, the 30,000 Waffle House associates salute our two founders and are very proud to continue their high standards of service to our customers now and for the next 50 years.
Waffle Houses are found in all of the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Virginia!
Here is a link to where you can locate them by cities!
RESTURANT FINDER!
The Waffle House is, has been, and will forever be the leader in crime fighting, anti-cannibalistic, anti-doggie and kitty slaying, non-racist, beautiful, good natured, happy restaurants in the United States… not Japan… We have pride within ourselves for beating the acronymic competition with a smile on our faces… IHOP is a smug capitalist hitman kind of place and should be treated like the local crack houses that they are. Feel pity for IHOP… but not enough to eat there… thank you to all of you who took the time to read this…
-signed, The Waffle House, and it’s great warriors..