How Many Cups Of Coffee Waffle House Has Served Since Opening More Than 70 Years Ago

Waffle House has built its beloved reputation on a lot of things, including 24-hour service, hash browns ordered a dozen ways, and late-night shenanigans. But here's one stat you probably don't know: Since opening more than 70 years ago, Waffle House says that it has served more than one billion cups of coffee. That big ol' number might make you realize just how embedded the chain is in America's diner culture.

It all goes back to 1955, when neighbors Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House outside of Atlanta. They decided to name the eatery after their most profitable menu item, waffles. The concept seemed radical at the time: a short-order restaurant focused on breakfast and friendly customer service, open 24 hours a day. Yet, it was a success. While there are many old-school diner foods that are no longer popular, the waffles at Waffle House have never changed.

Of course, coffee was central from the beginning. According to Waffle House employees writing on Reddit, free refills are part of the charm (though this isn't officially confirmed and can vary from location to location). Those generous top-offs of hot coffee have arguably helped friendly Waffle House "associates" encourage people to sit and stay awhile. Consider that the chain now has more than 2,000 locations in 25 states, and the cups of joe really start to add up. 

Waffle House boasts its own roast, too. Though its coffee beans hail from Central and South America, it's roasted in Birmingham, Alabama, by Royal Cup, a B2B coffee distributor. You can now even buy its branded ground coffee, coffee pods, and coffee mugs online. Is the coffee actually good? Well, that's a personal choice. 

Coffee has long played a social role that made Waffle House a neighborhood favorite. When nothing else was open, its restaurants became informal community centers where locals could gather after football games, during storms, or in the aftermath of long overnight shifts. The chain's famously calm response to natural disasters, often staying open when others closed, reinforced the idea that Waffle House was there for customers, no matter what. Consider that FEMA has even used an unofficial "Waffle House Index" to assess how bad weather conditions were during hurricane landfalls. With so many of its locations across the Gulf Coast, the federal government began to track how many Waffle Houses stayed open with a full menu and hot coffee. If none were open? Code Red.

In recent years, Waffle House's cultural resonance has only grown. Social media, memes, and pop culture references have given the chain quite the cult following. Anthony Bourdain even claimed Waffle House was better than fine dining. Through it all, coffee remains. It's the first thing ordered, the last thing refilled, and the reason so many customers stay way longer than planned.