Shola Osiyemi
3 min readJun 28, 2023

A classic, old-fashioned, American diner. Waffle House is remains an American icon.

Renowned across America for their exquisite waffles. Waffle House originated in 1955. It was the invention of two neighbors, Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner.

Waffle House started small, with a single restaurant in Georgia. The company slowly expanded, by franchising their restaurants across Southern America, which resulted in over 27 restaurants by the late 1960’s.

Waffle House steadily grew into a large American enterprise, with the iconic “ Yellow Sign” becoming a familiar landmark across the south.

Today Waffle House has over 1,900 locations across 25 different states, is a leading business in the American food & drink industry, and retains a value over $1billion.

Let’s dive into the brilliance of Waffle House.

A Nostalgic Physical Environment:

The interior design of Waffle House resembles that of an old-school American diner. It’s the type of restaurant, where you can go and sit down and casually start talking to the person next you, while you both sip a nice hot coffee.

Or you go with your friends or family, you laugh round the table while tucking in on some delicious waffles.

The ambience of a restaurant, massively impacts the dining experience for customers. I think Waffle House excels in generating a warm social atmosphere, that promotes conversation and allows customers to cherish their food.

In a era where food is quickly processed and served, Waffle House rewinds the times. Giving customers a memorable dining experience.

A Simplistic But Tasty Menu:

As businesses grow and evolve, it’s a common practice for the business to gradually change their menu. Altering their dishes to meet the ever changing tastes and fashions of their customers.

But for the most part, Waffle House has rejected this idealogy. Waffle House’s menu is almost identical to the menu they served half a century ago.

You’ll still find the classic dishes. Egg Breakfasts, Bacon egg and cheese sandwiches. And of course, classic waffles.

Waffles that are drizzled in sticky, sugary and smooth maple syrup, the type of syrup that seeps deep into the waffle, resulting in a satisfylingly sugary waffle.

There’s a traditional American taste that comes with every bite you have of Waffle House, and nothing beats that.

Consistency:

One of the most important aspects that contributes towards a business succeeding is consistency.

Consistency comes in many different forms. The consistency of a product, the consistency of service, but I’m going to focus on the consistency of geographical locations.

You won’t find many Waffle Houses located in shopping malls or fast food hotspots. You will almost always find Waffle Houses located in suburban areas, adjacent to busy roads. Away from the hustle and bustle, a Waffle House restaurant is centred in remote pieces of land.

Waffle Houses solitarily stand alone, with the bright yellow logo, glistening throughout night and day.

Waffle House is designed to be a rest area for people who have busy days ahead of them, and need a satisfying breakfast to kick start their mornings.

This is what makes Waffle House so unique and pleasant, and most importantly, it’s what makes Waffle House successful.