The very first Waffle House opened its doors Labor Day weekend in 1955 at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia. The idea behind Waffle House was conceived by Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner. The two men who founded Waffle House in 1955 still own a majority of the company today. Joe Rogers Sr. had worked as a short order cook in 1947, at the Toddle House located in New Haven, Connecticut.
He/She had become the manager of the Toddle House chain in Georgia but they had gone out of business when he had met up with Tom Forkner while buying a house from him in Avondale Estates. Rogers told Forkner you build a restaurant and I will show you how to run it. The two gentlemen started franchising out their restaurant in 1960. They started calling their restaurant the Waffle House the Waffle & Steak House so that people would realize that it was not just a place for breakfast only.
Job Description/Average Wage
Grill Operator: The person who takes care of making foods on the grill. Often they are making things like steaks, hamburgers, etc. Some Grill Operators do the breakfast grill making the waffles, eggs, and other breakfast foods on the grill. The average wage for a Grill Operator is $7.76 an hour as their starting wage.
Dishwasher: This job is going to require that you bus tables, as well as organize dishes, clean them and more. You will also assist those in the lobby where you will mop, sweep and clean off tables. You may also be asked to assist the cooking staff with any duties that they need help with such as cleaning pots, pans and more. The average wage is $7 to $9 a hour.
Waitress: The waitress takes care of the customer’s orders serving the food as it comes out of the kitchen hot and tasty. They usually help to set the customers in the area they can be promptly taken care of and in some situations may give a hand in busting the table. The average wage for a waitress/wait person is $3.00 an hour plus tips.
Unit Manager Trainee: The unit manager trainee works with a unit manager to find out all the job functions that they will need in order to perform the job properly. They are usually in charge of one unit of the restaurant and that could be from the kitchen to the floor area where customers are being served. The average wage for a unit manager trainee is $11.00 an hour.
Benefits
- Competitive pay rates
- Grill clerks are given sales bonus depending on how much is sold.
- Sales people are given raises for production
- Other employees are given raises depending on their continuous service at the same restaurant.
- All employee’s are entitled to a good Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Vision Discount
- Employees can invest in the stock plan
- Annual cash bonus from $300 to almost $5,000 depending on the time with the company.
How to apply
If you are interested in one of these jobs or one of the many other jobs that are available you should visit your local Waffle House and ask for an application. You can also visit their website to see what is available in your area. The website address: