Democracy Dies in Darkness

Walter G. Ehmer, longtime Waffle House president, dies at 58

Ehmer was remembered as “embodying Waffle House’s unique down-to-earth style of leadership,” starting his career there in 1992 and working his way up.

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Waffle House chief Walter G. Ehmer in 2018. (Steve Helber/AP)
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Walter G. Ehmer, the president and CEO of Waffle House, died Sept. 6, according to Georgia Tech, his alma mater. He was 58.

The Waffle House board of directors confirmed the death but did not cite a cause, saying only that he died after a long illness.

The Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine said Ehmer would be “remembered for a lifetime of service, both through his career at Waffle House and to the community at large.” The Atlanta Police Foundation, for which he served on the board of trustees, said in a statement Saturday that “Walt was a dedicated leader, tireless advocate for public safety, and an unwavering supporter of our mission to build a safer, stronger Atlanta.”

Ehmer graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He began his career at Waffle House in 1992, working his way up to senior leadership. He became president of the company in 2006, CEO in 2012 and chairman of the board in 2022, according to the alumni magazine.

Over the years, Ehmer spoke fondly of his time at Georgia Tech, which he said left a lasting impact on him.

“I got my first job opportunity and my 31-plus-year career at Waffle House because of the relationships I made at Tech,” he once told the Alumni Association. “My entire life is related to Tech in some way.”

Ehmer met his wife, Kara, through Georgia Tech, the alumni magazine said, and his three children — Gregory Ehmer, Anna Ehmer and Lesley Ehmer — attended the school.

Two Georgia neighbors first opened Waffle House, a 24-hour, sit-down diner, in 1955. To date, the chain — whose bright yellow sign glowing along American highways holds the promise of road-trip comfort food — has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.

“Ehmer was admired for embodying Waffle House’s unique down-to-earth style of leadership and for his commitment to the community,” the alumni magazine wrote. “Rather than lead from an office, he preferred to visit Waffle House restaurants — greeting patrons and associates with a handshake and smile — to learn first-hand what issues were happening on the ground.”

Ehmer served on numerous boards in addition to the Atlanta Police Foundation’s, including as chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2013.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that Ehmer “leaves behind a remarkable legacy.”

“When you’re open 24 hours a day, all kinds of people show up, and all kind of things happen,” Ehmer told Georgia’s Newnan Times-Herald in 2018, the WABE radio station reported. “Everybody has a late-night Waffle House story. … People do some really strange things late at night.”