1 How It All Started
In the early 1950s, Joe Rogers Sr. was a regional manager for the Toddle House restaurant chain. He had started in the business as a short-order cook in 1947 at a Toddle House in New Haven, Connecticut, working his way up before relocating to Atlanta.
That's where he met Tom Forkner — a real estate broker, lawyer, and World War II intelligence officer who had served in the Manhattan Project. Rogers was buying a house in Avondale Estates. Forkner was selling it. They became neighbors and friends.
Inspired by the rise of fast food chains like McDonald's, Rogers pitched an idea: a quick-service, sit-down restaurant that stayed open 24 hours. Forkner liked it. He suggested naming it after whatever menu item made the most money. That turned out to be waffles.
They pooled $4,000 in savings, built out a small restaurant at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia, and opened the doors on Labor Day weekend, 1955.
"We aren't in the food business. We're in the people business."
— Joe Rogers Sr.
By the end of the first year, that single location had 10 employees and $50,000 in sales. It was enough to prove the concept.
2 A Timeline of Growth
First Waffle House opens in Avondale Estates, Georgia on Labor Day weekend. The restaurant features a simple menu and 24-hour service.
With four restaurants running, Waffle House begins franchising. Rogers returns full-time to run operations after being refused a buy-in at Toddle House.
The iconic yellow sign and “shoebox” building design appear at the seventh location in East Point, Georgia. The brand identity is born.
After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., many Atlanta businesses close out of fear. Waffle House stays open. The chain was among the first restaurants in Atlanta to serve Black customers. Co-founder Rogers was later thanked by Black leaders for the decision.
Forkner and Rogers pass leadership to Joe Rogers Jr., who continues the company's expansion.
The chain surpasses 400 locations, establishing itself as a fixture of Southern interstate exits.
Store #1,000 opens just blocks from the original location in Avondale Estates, marking the company's 40th anniversary.
Waffle House buys back the original restaurant (sold in the early 1970s) and restores it using the original blueprints. It becomes a private company museum.
Both founders pass away within two months of each other: Joe Rogers Sr. on March 3 at age 97, and Tom Forkner on April 26 at age 98.
Over 2,000 locations across 25 states. More than 40,000 associates. Approximately 160 million customers served per year. Still privately owned. Still open 24/7.
3 The Waffle House Index
Waffle House is famously resilient. The chain is known for staying open through hurricanes, ice storms, tornadoes, and power outages — often operating on limited menus with generators when necessary.
This reliability caught the attention of Craig Fugate, who served as FEMA Administrator from 2009 to 2017. He realized that Waffle House's operational status could serve as a practical indicator of disaster severity in a given area.
"If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That's really bad. That's where you go to work."
— Craig Fugate, former FEMA Administrator
The Waffle House Index became an informal but widely referenced metric:
Full menu. Waffle House is operating normally. Damage in the area is likely limited.
Limited menu. Power may be out or supplies running low. Conditions are deteriorating.
Closed. This almost never happens. It signals a serious disaster in the area.
FEMA doesn't officially use the Waffle House Index in its disaster assessments, but the concept is widely known within emergency management circles. When Waffle House closes, it makes national news — because it means conditions are truly severe.
4 Culture & Fun Facts
The Secret Language
Waffle House has its own order-marking system. Condiment packets and positions on the plate tell the cook exactly how a dish should be prepared. “Scattered, smothered, and covered” means hash browns spread on the grill, with onions and cheese.
Always Open
Waffle House locations don't have door locks. The original design didn't even include them — because the restaurants were never meant to close. Since September 5, 1955, there has always been a Waffle House open somewhere.
By the Numbers
500 million+ waffles served since 1955. 160 million customers per year. 2% of all eggs in the United States are served at Waffle House. They also serve 145 strips of bacon per minute.
People Business
Waffle House employs over 40,000 associates and has always emphasized being a “people business” rather than a food business. Many employees have worked at the chain for decades.
5 Our Appreciation
This tracker exists because Waffle House is more than a restaurant. It's a cultural institution. It's the place that stays open when everything else closes. It's where truckers stop at 3 AM, where families go after church, where college students end up at midnight.
We built this site out of genuine respect for what Waffle House represents: resilience, consistency, and hospitality. The fact that a breakfast chain's operating status became a credible disaster metric says everything about what they've built over nearly 70 years.
To Tom Forkner and Joe Rogers Sr. — two neighbors who turned $4,000 and a good idea into an American landmark. And to the 40,000+ associates who keep those yellow signs lit every single day.
Thank you, Waffle House.