ATLVault: Scattered, smothered and covered | First Waffle House opens, 68 years ago

ATLVault

ATLVault: Scattered, smothered and covered | First Waffle House opens, 68 years ago

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Published on Aug 30, 2023, 1:00:00 PM
Total time: 00:29:02

Episode Description

On Sept. 5, 1955, two Atlanta businessmen - Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner - opened the very first Waffle House, located in DeKalb County's Avondale Estates community. Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947 
at the Toddle House in Connecticut.
By 1949, he was a regional manager, then moved to Atlanta. He met Forkner 
while buying a house from him in Avondale Estates.
Today, Waffle House has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.
Njeri Boss, vice president of public relations, and Virginia Angles, curator of the Waffle House museum, talk about this national iconic culinary brand.

More about ATLVault

Atlanta is a city thriving with historical identity, heroic figures and thrilling adventures. In this series of podcasts, Atlanta News First unlocks Atlanta's vibrant history, and bring new life and new perspectives to our city's brilliant future.