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Joe Rogers (businessman)

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Joe Rogers
Born
Joseph Wilson Rogers

November 30, 1919
Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMarch 3, 2017 (aged 97)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman
Known forco-founder and former CEO of Waffle House
SpouseRuth Jolley Rogers
Children4, including Joe Rogers Jr.

Joseph Wilson Rogers (November 30, 1919 – March 3, 2017) was an American businessman. He was co-founder and former CEO of the Waffle House franchise restaurant chain, which began business in 1955 in Georgia, and has grown to over 2,100 locations in 25 states.

Early years

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Born in 1919 in Jackson, Tennessee,[1] he grew up there at 291 W. Deaderick Street, and graduated from Jackson High School in 1938.[2] During World War II Rogers served in the United States Army Air Corps as a B-24 pilot reaching the rank of captain.[3]

Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947, at the Toddle House in New Haven, Connecticut.[4] By 1949, he had become a regional manager with the now-defunct Memphis-based restaurant chain, and moved to Atlanta.[5] There he met Tom Forkner, whom he bought a house from in the Atlanta suburb of Avondale Estates.[6][7][8]

Forkner pressed Rogers to go into business together for a quick-service, sit-down restaurant in Avondale.[7][8] Forkner later recalled Rogers telling him, "You build a restaurant and I’ll show you how to run it."[5] Forkner suggested a Toddle House, but Rogers felt the chain wasn't proper for the market.[7] After Forkner secured the property,[7] the pair developed the concept of the Waffle House together: Forkner proposed the name, while Rogers suggested keeping a 24-hour schedule.[9]

Waffle House

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This Waffle House in Fort Worth, Texas, is near the Texas Motor Speedway

The first Waffle House opened on Labor Day weekend 1955, at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia.[6] The restaurant was named after the most profitable item on the 16-item menu.[5] The fragile nature of waffles also made the point that it was a dine-in, not a carry-out, restaurant, but it confused patrons as to meal availability other than breakfast.[5]

Rogers continued to work with Toddle House, and to avoid conflict of interest sold his interest to Forkner in 1956.[4] In 1960, when Rogers asked to buy into Toddle House, and they refused, he moved back to Atlanta and rejoined Waffle House, now a chain of three restaurants, to run restaurant operations.[4] Shortly after Rogers returned full-time, Forkner followed suit and left Ben S. Forkner Realty.[10]

After opening a fourth restaurant in 1960, the company began franchising its restaurants[5] and slowly grew to 27 stores by the late 1960s, before growth accelerated.[5] As of 2017, there are over 2,100 locations in 25 states. The company is privately held and doesn't disclose annual sales figures, but says they serve 2% of the eggs used in the nation's food service industry.[5] The founders limited their involvement in management, Joe Rogers Jr. is Chairman, and Walt Ehmer is president and CEO.[11]

Personal life

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He was married to Ruth Jolley Rogers for 74 years, and she survived him.[12] They had four children, two girls and two boys, and their eldest son, Joe Rogers Jr. became CEO of Waffle House in 1973.[2]

Death

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Rogers died on March 3, 2017, at the age of 97 in Atlanta.[13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Waffle House co-founder Joe Rogers dead at 97". ajc.com. 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  2. ^ a b "Jackson is home to co-founder of Waffle House". jacksonsun.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Waffle House co-founder Joe Rogers Sr. dies at 97". chicagotribune.com. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b c |title=Joe Rogers profile: The cornerstone of Waffle House |publisher=ajc.com |date=2004-12-24 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 24, 2004
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Waffle House still dishin' diner food at 50". NBC News. 15 August 2005.
  6. ^ a b Waffle House history Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b c d Auchmutey, Jim (September 2, 2008). "Waffle House history a recipe for museum success". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  8. ^ a b Schemmel, William (2007). You Know You're in Georgia When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Peach State. Globe Pequot. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7627-4131-1.
  9. ^ "Waffle House turns 50, but goods still going like hotcakes". USA Today. Associated Press. 2005-08-12. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  10. ^ "History of Waffle House". populartimelines.com.
  11. ^ Sorvino, Chloe. "Waffle House Chairman Joe Rogers Jr. Debuts As A Billionaire As Restaurant Industry Digs Out From Wreckage". Forbes.
  12. ^ "Waffle House co-founder Joe Rogers Sr. dies at 97". chicagotribune.com. Associated Press. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  13. ^ Stephen Miller (2017-03-06). "Joe Rogers, Who Built Waffle House Chain With Grits, Dies at 97". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  14. ^ "Joseph W. Rogers, a Founder of Waffle House, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
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