Tom Forkner

Thomas Forkner (born June 14, 1918) is an American businessman and lawyer as well as a notable senior golfer.[1][2] He is the co-founder of restaurant chain Waffle House, which consisted of 1,553 restaurants as of February 5, 2009.[1]

Biography

Born in Hawkinsville, Georgia 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.[2] The son of a real estate agent,[3] he practiced law until called to serve in World War II.[2] After his return, he took over his father's real estate firm, working in Avondale Estates, Georgia.[2][3] In the 1940s, he married wife Martha, with whom he shares three children, two daughters and a son.[2] As of 2007, he lived in Duluth, Georgia.[4]

Waffle House

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

In 1949, Forkner sold a home to Joe Rogers, Sr.[5] Inspired by the emergence of fast food chains like McDonalds,[6] Rogers, who was a regional manager of the Toddle House chain of diners in Memphis, Tennessee, proposed that he and Forkner go into business together for a quick-service, sit-down restaurant.[5] Forkner suggested a Toddle House, but Rogers felt the chain wasn't proper for the market.[3] After Forkner secured the property,[3] 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.[6] The first Waffle House opened in Avondale in 1955.[5] Over the next several years, the pair expanded the chain, beginning to offer franchises after 1960.[6] As of 2005, Forkner and Rogers, though having passed the helm of the company to Joe Rogers, Jr. in 1973,[7] still worked for the company occasionally, including on major holidays.[6] In 2007, Forkner was still visiting his office daily.[4]

Golf

Forkner started golfing as part of a lifestyle change after health problems put him in the hospital in 1959.[2] 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 Chronicle in 2007 as "probably the single best thing I ever did."[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Collier, Joe Guy (February 5, 2009). "116 Waffle Houses to stay open under deal". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tom Forkner". George Gold Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Auchmutey, Jim (September 2, 2008). "Waffle House history a recipe for museum success". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  4. 1 2 3 Westin, David (January 7, 2007). "Inductee made most of trip". Augusta Chronicle.
  5. 1 2 3 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 0-7627-4131-7.
  6. 1 2 3 4 AP (2005-08-12). "Waffle House turns 50, but goods still going like hotcakes". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  7. ↑ "iMPACT Speaker Series: Joe W. Rogers Jr., CEO, Waffle House, Inc.". 2005-11-02. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
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