Waffle House
Waffle House is a privately held American 24-hour diner chain with 2,000-plus locations across 25 Southern and Southeastern states, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to general consumers through dine-in, online ordering, catering, and merchandise channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersNorcross, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Waffle House does
Waffle House is a privately held American diner chain founded in 1955 by Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner in Georgia and headquartered in the Atlanta metro area (Norcross). The company operates 2,000-plus restaurants across 25 states concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern United States, employing 45,000-plus associates, the great majority of whom are hourly restaurant staff. All locations operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, serving a standardized menu built around breakfast (waffles, hashbrowns in scattered/smothered/covered variations, egg plates, biscuits) and lunch/dinner (Angus burgers, Texas melts, classic dinners).
Waffle House firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waffle House
- Legal name
- Waffle House, Inc.
- Website
- https://wafflehouse.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Waffle House is a privately held American 24-hour diner chain with 2,000-plus locations across 25 Southern and Southeastern states, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to general consumers through dine-in, online ordering, catering, and merchandise channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waffle House industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Mobile Food Services (72233), Caterers (72232)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mobile / On-Site Catering (Food Trucks for Events, Pop-Ups) (THAFAIAJ), Corporate/Workplace Meal Programs & Bulk Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Waffle House is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norcross
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Waffle House business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in restaurant sales: Traditional walk-in restaurant dining across 2,000+ locations offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Online ordering and delivery: Customers can order online for pickup or delivery through order.wafflehouse.com
- Catering services: Corporate catering and event catering services including food delivery, on-site food stations, and food truck appearances
- Merchandise sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, and food items through the Waffle House online store
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Waffle House product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waffle House operates more than 2,000 diner-style restaurants across 25 states, serving made-to-order American comfort food including waffles, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, and Angus beef burgers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Beyond dine-in service, the company offers online ordering for pickup and delivery, corporate and event catering with food trucks, gift cards, a Regulars Club loyalty program, and branded merchandise through its online store.
Product overview
Waffle House operates a chain of over 2,000 American diner-style restaurants across 25 states, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner 24 hours a day. The core product offering includes made-to-order menu items featuring waffles, hashbrowns (known for 'Scattered, Smothered & Covered' preparations), burgers, and various breakfast and dinner items. The company's product portfolio spans multiple channels: in-store dining, an online ordering system for pickup and delivery, catering services with food trucks, a Regulars Club loyalty program, gift cards, and an e-commerce merchandise store selling branded apparel. Menu offerings are organized into Breakfast and Lunch/Dinner categories, with signature items including the All-Star Special, Toddle House omelets, Angus burgers, and various hashbrown bowl preparations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Regulars Club: Waffle House's loyalty rewards program offering exclusive specials, free coupons, and news to members.
- Waffle House Catering
Products and services
- Waffle House Restaurant (In-Store Dining) 24-hour diner chain operating 2,000+ locations across 25 states, offering made-to-order breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu items including waffles, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, Angus beef burgers, and other American comfort foods for dine-in service.
- Online Ordering System Web-based and mobile ordering platform allowing customers to place pickup and delivery orders directly through the Waffle House website (order.wafflehouse.com).
- Catering Services Catering service providing food delivery, on-site food stations, and Waffle House food truck appearances for events including school functions, birthday parties, weddings, and corporate gatherings.
- Regulars Club Free loyalty rewards program offering exclusive specials, free coupons, and Waffle House news delivered via email, with members receiving a free order of hashbrowns upon sign-up.
- Gift Cards Physical and digital gift cards available for purchase, balance checking, and reloading through the Waffle House website.
- Waffle House Merchandise Store Online merchandise store selling branded apparel including t-shirts, hats, tote bags, seasonal items, food-related merchandise, and accessories.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85 million strips of bacon served annually
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Waffle House
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Waffle House technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Waffle House partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CompartésminorWaffle House collaborated with Compartés chocolate on a limited-edition chocolate collaboration product priced at $45, released in early February 2026 as part of Valentine's Day promotional activities.
- bp pulsecorebp pulse, the EV charging subsidiary of oil and gas giant BP, partnered with Waffle House to install ultrafast EV charging stations at Waffle House locations. Each location will feature six EV charging bays equipped with 400kW DC fast chargers with mixed CCS and NACS connectors. The partnership covers the South and Southeast United States including Texas, Georgia and Florida, with the first sites projected to go live in 2026.
- Basic American FoodscoreSupplier of potatoes for Waffle House's world-famous hashbrowns. Basic American Foods works with potato farmers in Idaho to source quality potatoes.
- Rose Acre FarmscoreLargest egg supplier to Waffle House, supplying over half of the eggs consumed at Waffle House restaurants. Rose Acre Farms is one of the largest egg producers in the United States.
- C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. (CHG)coreSupplier of flour for Waffle House waffles since 1851. C.H. Guenther started operating its first flour mill in the hill country of southern Texas and is a guild-certified master millwright.
- Coca-ColacoreCoca-Cola products have been served at Waffle House restaurants since Labor Day 1955 when the first Waffle House restaurant opened.
- Simply BeveragescoreSimply juices are served at Waffle House, made from fruit never from concentrate with no added preservatives or artificial flavors.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Waffle House competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Denny's: Denny's is the closest direct peer to Waffle House — a national, around-the-clock American diner chain serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner at comparable value-price points. Both chains compete for late-night, family, and road-trip diners across overlapping U.S. geographies.
- Black Bear Diner: Black Bear Diner is a growing family-dining chain built around American comfort food and a diner-style experience. It overlaps with Waffle House in menu positioning (hearty breakfasts, burgers, comfort plates) and value-oriented family dining.
- Perkins Restaurant & Bakery: Perkins is an all-day breakfast and family dining chain with a comparable menu structure (pancakes, eggs, comfort food). Both chains serve similar value-oriented, breakfast-anchored diner occasions across overlapping U.S. regions.
- IHOP: IHOP is a leading all-day breakfast and casual dining chain with a comparable dine-in menu, counter-service model, and national footprint. IHOP competes directly with Waffle House for breakfast and family dining occasions across the U.S.
- Cracker Barrel: Cracker Barrel is a Southern-rooted family dining chain with a similar comfort-food menu and regional concentration in the Southeast. Both brands anchor the 'Southern casual dining' category and compete for family and road-trip occasions.
- Shoney's: Shoney's is a legacy Southern family dining chain known for breakfast bars and American comfort food. It competes directly with Waffle House in Southern markets for casual, value-oriented family dining occasions.
- Bob Evans Restaurants: Bob Evans operates family-style restaurants with a comparable comfort-food, breakfast-focused menu. The chains overlap in demographic positioning (value-conscious, family-oriented diners) and in regional presence across the Midwest and South.
- Golden Corral: Golden Corral is a high-volume, value-priced family dining chain with broad breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets. It competes with Waffle House for budget-conscious family and road-trip diners across overlapping geographies.
Broad incumbents
- Hardee's: Hardee's is a broad QSR incumbent with deep presence across the same Southern and Southeastern U.S. geographies where Waffle House dominates. It competes with Waffle House for breakfast and burger occasions, though via a drive-through QSR model rather than a diner.
Emerging players
- First Watch: First Watch is a growing daytime breakfast, brunch, and lunch cafe chain. While it operates only during the day, its breakfast-focused menu and fresh-cafe positioning compete for morning occasions where Waffle House is a primary alternative.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waffle House social profiles
Digital presenceWaffle House financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waffle House leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Waffle House funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waffle House M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Waffle House
What does Waffle House do?
Waffle House operates more than 2,000 diner-style restaurants across 25 states, serving made-to-order American comfort food including waffles, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, and Angus beef burgers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Beyond dine-in service, the company offers online ordering for pickup and delivery, corporate and event catering with food trucks, gift cards, a Regulars Club loyalty program, and branded merchandise through its online store.
Is Waffle House a public or private company?
Waffle House is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Waffle House founded?
Waffle House was founded in 1955. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Waffle House based?
Waffle House is headquartered in Norcross, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waffle House make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in restaurant sales are the primary driver. The others are online ordering and delivery, catering services and merchandise sales.
Who are Waffle House's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Denny's, Black Bear Diner, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, IHOP, Cracker Barrel, Shoney's, Bob Evans Restaurants and Golden Corral. Hardee's is listed as a broad incumbent. First Watch is listed as an emerging player.
Does Waffle House have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waffle House.
What industry is Waffle House in?
Waffle House's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFAIAJ, Mobile / On-Site Catering (Food Trucks for Events, Pop-Ups). Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5812.