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40-817: Waffle House, Inc. is an American restaurant chain with over 2000 locations in 25 states in the United States. The bulk of the locations are in the Midwest and the South , where the chain is a regional cultural icon. The menu consists mainly of Southern breakfast food . Waffle House is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia , in the Atlanta metropolitan area . The first Waffle House opened on Labor Day weekend in 1955 at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia . That restaurant

80-540: A chain of teashops which became a staple of the High Street in the UK, and at its peak, the firm numbered around 200 cafes. The displacement of independent businesses by chains has sparked increased collaboration among independent businesses and communities to prevent chain proliferation. These efforts include community-based organizing through Independent Business Alliances (in the U.S. and Canada) and "buy local" campaigns. In

120-407: A chain of three restaurants, to run restaurant operations. Shortly after Rogers returned full-time, Forkner followed suit and left Ben S. Forkner Realty. After opening a fourth restaurant in 1960, the company began franchising its restaurants and slowly grew to 27 stores by the late 1960s, before growth accelerated. In 2007, Waffle House repurchased the original restaurant, which had been sold by

160-420: A commercial, it got the ax." If the song makes the cut, it will be recorded and make its way to Waffle House jukeboxes. The songs are on ordinary discs, which are produced for Waffle House and are not commercially sold, but the chain has made a CD of some of the songs available for sale. Other artists that recorded for Waffle Records include Eddie Middleton who recorded "Good Food Fast" and "Waffle Doo-Wop," which

200-537: A news vending business in London that would become a national concern in the mid-19th century under the management of their grandson William Henry Smith . The world's oldest national retail chain, the firm took advantage of the railway boom during the Industrial Revolution by opening news-stands at railway stations beginning in 1848. The firm, now called WHSmith, had more than 1,400 locations as of 2017. In

240-538: A sandwich that is prepared with chicken or beef, beans or refried beans and a roll or bun as primary ingredients. It is a common street food in Mexico and Venezuela. Found in Ohio is the shredded chicken sandwich . The sandwich is also referred to as a hot chicken sandwich in rural Ohio. The sandwich consists of shredded chicken, one or more types of condensed soup, seasoning and crushed crackers to help thicken and bind

280-569: A serious Salmonella problem in 2003 at a Chili's location in Vernon Hills, Illinois , and by four deaths in 1993 from E. coli in undercooked hamburger at a Jack in the Box , the television news magazine Dateline NBC investigated sanitation practices of popular American family restaurant chains, measuring the number of critical violations per inspection. The Waffle House averaged 1.6 critical violations per inspection. Waffle House's response to

320-618: Is a sandwich that typically consists of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, served between slices of bread. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include chicken on a bun , chicken on a Kaiser , hot chicken , or chicken salad sandwich. In the United States, the chicken sandwich usually consists of a chicken filet or patty , toppings and bread. The chicken meat can be deep fried , grilled , roasted or boiled , served hot or cold, and white or dark meat chicken can be used. Shredded chicken in one form or another, such as chicken salad , can also be used in chicken sandwiches. Another form

360-489: Is a chicken sandwich covered with gravy eaten with utensils. The sandwich is sometimes served with green peas . It is especially popular in Quebec and is often considered one of the province's staple dishes. Since it is so commonly found in eateries of Quebec ( Rôtisserie St-Hubert , Valentine , e.g.) and less seen outside the province, many Québécois regard it as a part of Quebec cuisine and believe it to have originated in

400-410: Is made with cold cuts. Wrap versions of the sandwich can also be made, in which the ingredients are rolled up inside a flatbread, such as a tortilla . Open-faced versions of the chicken sandwich, which feature hot chicken served with gravy on top of bread, are also common variations. The ongoing competition for market share in the United States in fried chicken sandwiches has demonstrably impacted

440-453: Is the last remaining music chain store in the United States and has shrunk from over 1,000 at its height to 270 locations in 2018. In 2019, Payless ShoeSource stated that it would be closing all remaining 2,100 stores in the US. A restaurant chain is a set of related restaurants in many different locations that are either under shared corporate ownership or franchising agreements. Typically,

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480-492: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Waffle House is one of the top four corporations, along with Walmart , The Home Depot , and Lowe's , for disaster response. Waffle House has an extensive disaster management plan with on-site and portable generators, and positions food and ice ahead of severe weather events such as a hurricane . This helps mitigate the effects of a storm on the power grid and

520-410: The fast casual and quick-service restaurant industry. This competition has coincided with a significant rise in the prevalence of fried chicken sandwiches on menus nationwide. As of 2024, 47% of restaurant menus feature fried chicken sandwiches, compared to 41% for burgers . This represents a 10% increase for chicken sandwiches from 2020 to 2021. While burgers may still hold the overall popularity edge,

560-592: The Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. However, the Chick-fil-A sandwich quickly overtook Waffle House's own items in sales and Waffle House ended the deal, prompting Cathy to spin off Chick-fil-A into its own chain. For years, Waffle House was known as "Waffle and Steak" in Indiana due to another chain of restaurants owning the rights to the Waffle House name in the state. The original Indiana Waffle House chain has started using

600-658: The Goose Creek Waffle House location to sanitize the facility. DHEC officials said they would be working with Waffle House to investigate possible exposures and provide guidance for preventive treatment for anyone who may be affected. Waffle House has developed into a cultural icon. Part of Waffle House's fame is that they are prominent along Interstate highways in the South. A now defunct Geocities website, The Waffle House Shrine, hosted employee and customer comments about their experiences with Waffle House. According to

640-492: The U.S. Supreme Court in 1931. Between then and 1933, 525 chain-store tax bills were introduced in state legislatures, and by the end of 1933 special taxes on retail chains were in force in 17 states. A chain store is characterised by the ownership or franchise relationship between the local business or outlet and a controlling business. While chains are typically "formula retail", a chain refers to ownership or franchise, whereas "formula retail" or "formula business" refers to

680-653: The U.S., trade organizations such as the American Booksellers Association and American Specialty Toy Retailers do national promotion and advocacy. NGOs like the New Rules Project and New Economics Foundation provide research and tools for pro-independent business education and policy while the American Independent Business Alliance provides direct assistance for community-level organizing. A variety of towns and cities in

720-530: The U.S., chain stores likely began with J. Stiner & Company, which operated several tea shops in New York City around 1860. By 1900, George Huntington Hartford had built The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company , originally a tea distributor based in New York, into a grocery chain that operated almost 200 stores. Dozens of other grocery, drug, tobacco, and variety stores opened additional locations, around

760-676: The US), or as exceeding municipal zoning authority (i.e., regulating "who owns it" rather than the characteristics of the business). Non-codified restrictions will sometimes target "chains". A municipal ordinance may seek to prohibit "formula businesses" in order to maintain the character of a community and support local businesses that serve the surrounding neighborhood. Brick-and-mortar chain stores have been in decline as retail has shifted to online shopping , leading to historically high retail vacancy rates. The hundred-year-old Radio Shack chain went from 7,400 stores in 2001 to 400 stores in 2018. FYE

800-415: The United States whose residents wish to retain their distinctive character—such as San Francisco ; Provincetown, Massachusetts and other Cape Cod villages; Bristol, RI ; McCall, Idaho ; Port Townsend, Washington ; Ogunquit, Maine ; Windermere, Florida and Carmel-by-the-Sea, California —closely regulate, even exclude, chain stores. They don't exclude the chain itself, only the standardized formula

840-440: The chain in the early 1970s. The company restored it using original blueprints for use as a private company museum. The museum is used primarily for internal corporate events and tours. In 2008, one of the biggest Waffle House franchises in the southeast, North Lake Foods, was bought out by Waffle House, Inc. North Lake Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed some stores. Waffle House, Inc. plans to rehabilitate

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880-519: The chain uses, described as " formula businesses ". For example, there could often be a restaurant owned by McDonald's that sells hamburgers, but not the formula franchise operation with the golden arches and standardized menu, uniforms, and procedures. The reason these towns regulate chain stores is aesthetics and tourism. Proponents of formula restaurants and formula retail allege the restrictions are used to protect independent businesses from competition. Chicken sandwich A chicken sandwich

920-466: The characteristics of the business. There is considerable overlap because key characteristic of a formula retail business is that it is controlled as a part of a business relationship, and is generally part of a chain. Nevertheless, most codified municipal regulation relies on definitions of formula retail (e.g., formula restaurants ), in part because a restriction directed to "chains" may be deemed an impermissible restriction on interstate commerce (in

960-455: The city's second oldest restaurant, closed in 2013, and was demolished to make way for an apartment complex. (Many of the Waffle House corporations in Indiana have been dissolved.) "Waffle House Inc." of Norcross, Georgia, registered with Indiana in 1974. In 2005, the Waffle and Steak restaurants all adopted the "Waffle House" moniker, bringing the entire chain under the name. In 2004, in response to

1000-470: The company, while his brothers split the remaining 49%. Under Isidore's (and later his son Louis') leadership, Maisons Dewachter would become one of the most recognized names in Belgium and France with stores in 20 cities and towns. Some cities had multiple stores, such as Bordeaux, France . Louis Dewachter also became an internationally known landscape artist, painting under the pseudonym Louis Dewis . By

1040-487: The early 1920s, chain retailing was well established in the United States, with A&P, Woolworth's , American Stores, and United Cigar Stores being the largest. By the 1930s, chain stores had come of age, and stopped increasing their total market share. Court decisions against the chains' price-cutting appeared as early as 1906, and laws against chain stores began in the 1920s, along with legal countermeasures by chain-store groups. State taxes on chain stores were upheld by

1080-650: The first fish and chips restaurant (as opposed to a take-away) in London, and its instant popularity led to a chain comprising 22 restaurants with locations around London and seaside resorts in southern England including Brighton , Ramsgate and Margate . In 1864, the Aerated Bread Company (ABC) began operating a chain of teashops in Britain. ABC would be overtaken as the leader in the field by Lyons , co-founded by Joseph Lyons in 1884. From 1909 Lyons began operating

1120-438: The franchise. In early 2009, East Coast Waffles bought North Lake Foods to become a new franchise. The founders of the Waffle House brand died in 2017 within two months of each other: Joe Rogers Sr. died on March   3 and Tom Forkner on April 26. On September 8, 2024, it was reported that Walter G. Ehmer , who oversaw Waffle House since 2012, died. Each Waffle House location is open 24 hours daily. This schedule has inspired

1160-505: The increasing presence of fried chicken sandwiches on menus suggests a growing consumer demand. In Ireland, the popular chicken fillet roll is a baguette filled with a spicy or plain Southern-fried breaded chicken fillet and a mayonnaise and/or butter spread. The Katsu-sando is a sandwich that consists of two slices of milk bread with a Japanese-style chicken cutlet in between. The hot chicken sandwich or simply "hot chicken"

1200-514: The name "Sunshine Cafe". However, the d/b/a for "Sunshine Cafe" belongs to "Waffle House Greenwood Inc.", established in 1981. The oldest "Waffle House" entity listed with the Corporations office of the Indiana Secretary of State is "Waffle House of Bloomington, Indiana , Inc." established in 1967, and, like Waffle House Greenwood, it is still an active corporation. The Bloomington operation,

1240-623: The province. This combination of chicken, gravy, and peas is known by its own term: galvaude , seen in poutine galvaude . The sandwich is also found in small diners in the Canadian Maritimes and throughout the Southeastern United States . The sandwich was a working-class dish already common and well established in North American cuisine by the early 1900s and featured on the food menus of pharmacists and druggists of

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1280-430: The restaurants within a chain are built to a standard format through architectural prototype development and offer a standard menu and/or services. Fast food restaurants are the most common, but sit-down restaurant chains also exist. Restaurant chains locations are often found near highways , shopping malls and densely populated urban or tourist areas . In 1896, Samuel Isaacs from Whitechapel , east London opened

1320-969: The same time, so that retail chains were common in the United States by 1910. Several state legislatures considered measures to restrict the growth of chains, and in 1914 concern about chain stores contributed to passage of the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act. Isidore, Benjamin and Modeste Dewachter originated the idea of the chain department store in Belgium in 1868, ten years before A&P began offering more than coffee and tea. They started with four locations for Maisons Dewachter (Houses of Dewachter): La Louvière , Mons , Namur and Leuze . They later incorporated as Dewachter frères (Dewachter Brothers) on January 1, 1875. The brothers offered ready-to-wear clothing for men and children and specialty clothing such as riding apparel and beachwear. Isidore owned 51% of

1360-457: The study pointed out that they prepare all meals in an open kitchen, and consumers can readily observe their sanitation practices themselves. On September 17, 2019, customers who ate at a Waffle House in Goose Creek , South Carolina, were exposed to Hepatitis A . One of the employees who had worked there tested positive for Hepatitis A. After upper management found out, they immediately shut down

1400-594: The supply chains. The company prepares "jump teams" of recovery staff and supplies, brought in from outside disaster-affected areas, so that local staff can focus on helping their own homes and families. The ability of a Waffle House to remain open after a severe storm, possibly with a limited menu, is used by FEMA as a measure of disaster recovery known as the Waffle House Index . Restaurant chain In 1792, Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna established W.H. Smith as

1440-400: The time. Due to its ease of preparation and its minimal costs, the sandwich was also widely served in the mess halls and cafeterias of the mid-1900s. This style of sandwich often makes use of leftovers from a previous meal. Substituting turkey for the chicken would make a hot turkey sandwich and substituting roast beef makes a variety of the roast beef sandwich . The pepito is

1480-501: The urban myth that "Waffle House doors have no locks". The chain's restaurants almost always have jukeboxes , which have traditionally played 45-rpm singles and, in some cases, CDs. Waffle House has released music through its own record label, Waffle Records. It has released songs from "Saturday Night At My Place" by Gary Garcia released in 1995 to "They're Cooking Up My Order" by Alfreda Gerald released in 2006. The co-founder Joe Rogers had high standards and said, "If it sounded like

1520-465: Was composed and produced by Jerry Buckner . The company claims to be the world's leading seller of several of its menu items —the namesake waffles, ham, pork chops, grits, and T-bone steaks. It also claims that it serves 2% of all eggs in the U.S. In the 1960s, S. Truett Cathy , the owner of a local diner called the Dwarf House, contracted with Waffle House to sell his proprietary chicken sandwich ,

1560-576: Was conceived and founded by Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner . Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947 at the Toddle House in New Haven, Connecticut . By 1949, he had become a regional manager with the now-defunct Memphis -based Toddle House chain. He then he moved to Atlanta , where he met Tom Forkner while buying a house from him in Avondale Estates. Rogers's concept

1600-479: Was to combine the speed of fast food with table service with around-the-clock availability. Forkner suggested naming the restaurant "Waffle House", as waffles were the most profitable item on the 16-item menu. Rogers continued to work with Toddle House, and, to avoid conflict of interest, sold his interest to Forkner in 1956. In 1960, Rogers asked to buy into Toddle House, and was subsequently refused. Afterwards, he moved back to Atlanta and rejoined Waffle House, now

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