Don't look for pancakes at this house, because it doesn't serve 'em. Waffle House is the #2 family-style restaurant chain (behind Denny's) with more than 1,600 diners in about two dozen states, mostly in the South. The eateries are popular for eggs, grits, and waffles, as well as their famous "scattered, smothered, and covered" hash browns. In addition to day starters, the menu features T-bone steaks, cheeseburgers, and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Invoking the 1950s-style diner, Waffle House units are typically free-standing and open 24 hours a day. About half of its locations are franchised. Joe Rogers Sr., father of CEO Joe Rogers Jr., started the family-owned business with partner Tom Forkner in 1955.