Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer Has Died at Age 58

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 30: A Waffle House restaurant on July 30, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. The restaurant chain created in the state of Georgia in 1955 now has over 1,900 locations in 25 states in the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

ATLANTA (AP) — Walt Ehmer, the president and CEO of Waffle House and a member of the board of trustees for the Atlanta Police Foundation, has died at age 58. The police foundation announced his death Sunday. The board of directors for Waffle House said Ehmer died after a long illness. According to his alma mater, Georgia Tech, Ehmer joined Waffle House in 1992 and quickly rose to senior leadership. He became president of the restaurant chain in 2002 and later added the titles of CEO and chairman. The Waffle House chain of around-the-clock diners opened in 1955 and now has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.