Tom Forkner, Waffle House Co-Founder, Dead At 98

ATLANTA, GA — Tom Forkner, who co-founded the Waffle House restaurant chain in Avondale Estates in 1955, died Wednesday. He was 98.

Forkner's death comes just seven weeks after the passing of his business partner, co-founder Joe Rogers Sr., who died in March at age 97.

According to his obituary, Forkner, who lived in Suwanee, passed away at Arbor Terrace of Johns Creek, an assisted living facility there. His wife of 71 years, Martha, also preceded him in death by just a few weeks, dying in late March. SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Forkner grew up in then-rural DeKalb County, in what would become Avondale Estates. After serving in World War II, Forkner returned to Georgia, where he began a long and successful career in real estate, starting Forkner Realty in Avondale Estates.

He served as the president of the DeKalb County Board of Realtors and was appointed to appraise the right-of-way and land acquisition for every interstate in the county. This included I-85, I-20, I-285 and the Stone Mountain Freeway.

In 1949, he sold a house to Rogers, and a long-lasting friendship and business relationship began.

READ: Joe Rogers Sr., Co-Founder of Waffle House, Dead At 97

Together they co-founded Waffle House when they opened the first restaurant in Avondale Estates in 1955.

"Joe told me to open a restaurant and he'd show me how to run it," Forkner is quoted in his obituary as saying.

Rogers joined Forkner at Waffle House full time in 1961, and the chain took off from there. The eatery quickly became a regional hit and a cultural force in the South when it started franchising in the late 1960s. The restaurant also brought "smothered and covered" into the national lexicon. The pair had opened 400 restaurants by the end of the 1970s, when they sold the business to their children.

They both continued working as brand ambassadors for Waffle House, making appearances and speaking to groups over the ensuing four decades.

The company's first diner, still standing, is now a museum and one of the most sought-after landmarks in DeKalb County. Today, the Norcross-based eatery has surpassed 2,100 locations in 25 states.

A celebration of Forkner's life will be held at Norcross First United Methodist church on Sunday, April 30 at 3 pm with Dr. J. Truett Gannon and Dr. Jim King officiating.

Visitation will be held at Crowell Brothers Funeral Homes & Crematory on Saturday, April 29, from 2-5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Giving Kitchen, which helps Atlanta area restaurant workers; The Georgia Junior Golf Association, which supports young golfers from ages 7 to 18; or to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Online condolences may be made at the Crowell Brothers Funeral Homes & Crematory website.

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Photo courtesy Waffle House