[7] The first Waffle House opened on Labor Day weekend in 1955 at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

[10][9][11] Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947 at the Toddle House in New Haven, Connecticut.

[citation needed] In early 2009, East Coast Waffles bought North Lake Foods to become a new franchise.

[22][23] The company claims to be the world's leading seller of several of its menu items—the namesake waffles, ham, pork chops, grits, and T-bone steaks.

[29] In 2004, in response to a serious Salmonella problem in 2003 at a Chili's location in Vernon Hills, Illinois,[31] and by four deaths in 1993 from E. coli in undercooked hamburger at a Jack in the Box,[32] the television news magazine Dateline NBC investigated sanitation practices of popular American family restaurant chains, measuring the number of critical violations per inspection.

[33] Waffle House's response to the study pointed out that they prepare all meals in an open kitchen, and consumers can readily observe their sanitation practices themselves.

[34] On September 17, 2019, customers who ate at a Waffle House in Goose Creek, South Carolina, were exposed to Hepatitis A.

After upper management found out, they immediately shut down the Goose Creek Waffle House location to sanitize the facility.

DHEC officials said they would be working with Waffle House to investigate possible exposures and provide guidance for preventive treatment for anyone who may be affected.

[37][38][36] Waffle House has become known as an internet meme for viral videos of fights on its premises,[39][40][41] which have been attributed to the combination of being open 24/7 and its customers often being under the influence of alcohol, though this reputation has been described as a self-fufilling prophecy with similar violence regularly taking place in other retail outlets.

[40] According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Waffle House is one of the top four corporations, along with Walmart, The Home Depot, and Lowe's, for disaster response.

[42][43] Waffle House has an extensive disaster management plan with on-site and portable generators, and positions food and ice ahead of severe weather events such as a hurricane.