Tom Forkner
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Forkner is an American businessman and lawyer as well as a notable senior golf
er. He is the co-founder of restaurant chain Waffle House
, which consisted of 1,553 restaurants as of February 5, 2009.
on June 14, 1918, Tom Forkner was the fifth of seven children of Ben & Bessie Forkner, his siblings include Louise, Lawrence, Catherine, Ben, John, & William. Forkner graduated Young Harris Junior College
before getting a law degree from Woodrow Wilson College of Law. The son of a real estate agent, he practiced law until called to serve in World War II
. After his return, he took over his father's real estate firm, working in Avondale Estates, Georgia
. In the 1940s, he married wife Martha, with whom he shares three children, two daughters and a son. As of 2007, he lived in Duluth, Georgia
.
Inspired by the emergence of fast food
chains like McDonalds, Rogers, who was a regional manager of the Toddle House
chain of diner
s in Memphis, Tennessee
, proposed that he and Forkner go into business together for a quick-service, sit-down restaurant. Forkner suggested a Toddle House, but Rogers felt the chain wasn't proper for the market. After Forkner secured the property, the pair developed the concept of the Waffle House together; Forkner proposed naming it after the most expensive item on the menu to promote it, while Rogers suggested keeping a 24-hour schedule. The first Waffle House opened in Avondale in 1955. Over the next several years, the pair expanded the chain, beginning to offer franchise
s after 1960. As of 2005, Forkner and Rogers, though having passed the helm of the company to Joe Rogers, Jr. in 1973, still worked for the company occasionally, including on major holidays. In 2007, Forkner was still visiting his office daily.
in 2007 as "probably the single best thing I ever did."
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. He is the co-founder of restaurant chain Waffle House
Waffle House
Waffle House is a restaurant chain with over 1600 locations found in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the Southern United States, where the chain remains a regional cultural icon...
, which consisted of 1,553 restaurants as of February 5, 2009.
Biography
Born in Hawkinsville, GeorgiaHawkinsville, Georgia
Hawkinsville is a city in Pulaski County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,487 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Hawkinsville is located at ....
on June 14, 1918, Tom Forkner was the fifth of seven children of Ben & Bessie Forkner, his siblings include Louise, Lawrence, Catherine, Ben, John, & William. Forkner graduated Young Harris Junior College
Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private, Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college located in the mountains of northeast Georgia. The current president is Cathy Cox, former Georgia Secretary of State.-Origins:...
before getting a law degree from Woodrow Wilson College of Law. The son of a real estate agent, he practiced law until called to serve in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After his return, he took over his father's real estate firm, working in Avondale Estates, Georgia
Avondale Estates, Georgia
Avondale Estates is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2010 census.Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon,...
. In the 1940s, he married wife Martha, with whom he shares three children, two daughters and a son. As of 2007, he lived in Duluth, Georgia
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits...
.
Waffle House
In 1949, Forkner sold a home to Joe Rogers, Sr.Joe Rogers, Sr.
Joe Rogers, Sr. is an American businessman, one of the two founders of Waffle House, the other being Tom Forkner.A native of Tennessee, Rogers had already been a diner chain regional manager for Toddle House in Memphis when he bought a house from Forkner in Avondale Estates, Georgia, in 1949...
Inspired by the emergence of fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
chains like McDonalds, Rogers, who was a regional manager of the Toddle House
Toddle House
Toddle House was a national restaurant chain in the United States specializing in breakfast and open 24/7. Each outlet was built to the same plan, and contained no tables, but merely a short counter with a row of ten stools. Payment was on the honor system: customers deposited their checks with...
chain of diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
s in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, proposed that he and Forkner go into business together for a quick-service, sit-down restaurant. Forkner suggested a Toddle House, but Rogers felt the chain wasn't proper for the market. After Forkner secured the property, the pair developed the concept of the Waffle House together; Forkner proposed naming it after the most expensive item on the menu to promote it, while Rogers suggested keeping a 24-hour schedule. The first Waffle House opened in Avondale in 1955. Over the next several years, the pair expanded the chain, beginning to offer franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
s after 1960. As of 2005, Forkner and Rogers, though having passed the helm of the company to Joe Rogers, Jr. in 1973, still worked for the company occasionally, including on major holidays. In 2007, Forkner was still visiting his office daily.
Golf
Forkner started golfing as part of a lifestyle change after health problems put him in the hospital in 1959. He has been widely successful as a senior golfer, and on January 6, 2007 was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. Among his achievements, he has four times been named the Georgia Senior Champion (1968, 1969, 1986) and twice International Senior Champion.(1974, 1980). In 2003 and 2004, he was World Super Seniors Champion for ages 80 and Over. Forkner, who competed in the 1980 and 1981 U.S. Senior Opens, once placed second there, which in mind of the competition he described to the Augusta ChronicleAugusta Chronicle
The Augusta Chronicle is the major daily newspaper of Augusta, Georgia and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States. The paper is known for its coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is played in Augusta. Among locals, the paper is commonly referred to as "The AC"-History:The paper...
in 2007 as "probably the single best thing I ever did."