Co-Founder Of The Waffle House Dies At 97

The Waffle House is an American institution. It is different things to different people, depending on the situation. To the locals, it's a meeting place, an employer, breakfast before work, and in many small communities, the only place that is open past 9pm on a weekday, if that's what you need.

To travelers, it's a step up from typical fast-food chains, while still being a time-efficient option. Some are even installed at truck stops, or at least have truck parking.

And to some, it is a pilgrimage to be made, whether a return trip after years away from living in the Waffle House's coverage area, or first-timers taking a road-trip to find out what all the fuss is about.

And if you don't understand what "scattered, smothered, and covered" means, along with the lesser-used, but equally important chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped, and "all the way", here's their mouth-watering menu to learn you up. Don't even try to resist:

Waffle House's Mouth-Watering Breakfast Menu

Joe Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook, became a regional manager for the old Toddle House chain, and moved to Atlanta in 1949. There, he and Tom Forkner conceived the restaurant, and developed the concept, opening the first Waffle House on Labor Day weekend 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia. Over the years, the the chain grew to over 1700 restaurants in 25 states, and claims to use 2% of the eggs used in the U.S. food service industry.

Set up in much the same way as a typical American diner, complete with a long counter if you're in to forced conversation with strangers, and a seating arrangement allowing for maximum waitress coverage with minimum walking time. The chain has always been open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it's always there for you, whatever your situation, predicament, or craving. Disaster responders even use The Waffle House as an indication of how bad things are - if the local Waffle House is closed, that's where disaster relief efforts should be concentrated.

Historically, the chain does 3 things exceptionally well: Waffles (duh), chili (not even kidding), and breakfast in general, with a menu and set of methods standardized beyond what you would expect in a sit-down chain, so that the food experience is pretty much exactly the same no matter which of the 1700 locations you visit. And you can even get a salad, if you're into that kind of thing.

Joe Rogers crossed over to that Great Diner In The Sky earlier this week, at age 97, which gives the rest of us some hope as we fill up on waffles and hash browns. So thank you and R.I.P., Joe Rogers, for whatever it is that the Waffle House is to each of us.

The Waffle House

The Waffle House On Wikipedia

If Waffle House Is Closed, It’s Time To Panic