Waffle House Drew Inspiration From A 24/7 Diner That Sadly Didn't Make It

Waffle House is known for its old-fashioned diner charm; comfort food is the name of the game, the restaurants are open 24/7, and breakfast food is served at all hours of the day. But before there was Waffle House, there was Toddle House — a Southern chain of diners that first opened its doors in the 1930s. And without it, Waffle House wouldn't be what it is today.

Toddle House had everything that makes a proper diner. From the charming white-and-blue exterior that made it noticeable from afar to the functional counter-only interior that allowed for quick customer turnaround. With its breakfast-centered menu and affordable prices, Toddle House became an important pit stop for the regular working folk. The diner did a lot of things well, but it especially excelled in omelets, which is exactly how Toddle House's legacy has survived to this day.

The founder of Waffle House, Joe Rogers Sr., originally worked at Toddle House, which is where he learned to make the diner's special omelet. Once he opened his own diner, he brought the omelet recipe with him, believing it couldn't possibly be improved upon. And so, all omelets at Waffle House are still officially called Toddle House omelets. Going with the original recipe has clearly paid off, because Waffle House's best-selling menu item isn't its famous hash browns or waffles — it's actually the eggs.

Toddle House was indeed a comforting place for many working Americans, but its original locations were also a painful reminder of racial inequality. Under segregation laws of the time, only white people were allowed to dine at Toddle House. That's why the diner opened a secondary chain called Harlem House, which operated with an identical concept and menu, except it welcomed black people. This division stayed in place until the '60s, a decade that Toddle House wouldn't survive.

Toddle House grew to over 200 locations across the South during its run, but despite its popularity, it couldn't keep up with the fast-changing restaurant trends of the early '60s. The chain was eventually sold in 1962, which began the slow erasure of its name, even though most of its buildings continued on as restaurants. Still, people held onto the nostalgia. Two decades later, a bold attempt was made to revive Toddle House, but it was short-lived, including only a small number of locations and never making it past the late '80s, thus completing the story of Toddle House. Luckily, you can still eat those omelets at the Waffle House or visit some of the other great 24-hour diners in the U.S. for a midnight breakfast.