Waffle House

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).

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

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

• Diner restaurant chain
• 24-hour dining
• Breakfast restaurants
• Comfort food dining
• Casual dining services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norcross

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Online ordering and delivery: Customers can order online for pickup or delivery through order.wafflehouse.com
3. Catering services: Corporate catering and event catering services including food delivery, on-site food stations, and food truck appearances
4. 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

Core 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

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CompartésminorOthers · 6 February 2026Waffle 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 pulsecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025bp 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 FoodscoreOthersSupplier of potatoes for Waffle House's world-famous hashbrowns. Basic American Foods works with potato farmers in Idaho to source quality potatoes.
• Rose Acre FarmscoreOthersLargest 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)coreOthersSupplier 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-ColacoreOthersCoca-Cola products have been served at Waffle House restaurants since Labor Day 1955 when the first Waffle House restaurant opened.
• Simply BeveragescoreOthersSimply 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

Direct 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

• Instagraminstagram.com/wafflehouseofficial
• Xx.com/wafflehouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/WaffleHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waffle-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waffle House