Avondale Estates receives anonymous $1 million gift ‘thanks to Waffle House’

The DeKalb County city of Avondale Estates received a gift of $1 million last week. The anonymous donors shared that their contribution was made possible “thanks to Waffle House — serving Avondale since 1955.” 

City Manager Patrick Bryant said Avondale Estates officials were surprised by the donation.

“Any time somebody offers a donation of this magnitude, it’s incredibly exciting. Not only does the city get the opportunity to determine how to utilize these resources in a very impactful way, [but] it also speaks to the confidence that the donor has in our ability to do so,” Bryant said. “We look forward to utilizing these funds to the best of our ability, both to make the donor proud and the community proud.”

The Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners will meet soon to discuss how to use the windfall to benefit the city and its residents.

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Waffle House and Avondale Estates

Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 and officially incorporated three years later. In September 1955, local restaurateurs Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House on East College Avenue in Avondale Estates. Having celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, the original location is now a Waffle House museum.

However, the city’s relationship with Waffle House doesn’t stop there. Bryant called the Waffle House Museum “a wonderful tourist attraction,” although the city does not have any affiliation with the museum itself. 

“I think the city and Waffle House have a very friendly relationship. In fact, one of their senior level executives [Walter Barineau] recently served on our city’s downtown development authority prior to his retirement,” Bryant said. “We were incredibly grateful for his willingness to serve, and Waffle House’s willingness to allow him to serve.”

Look for the Waffle House Museum to host its next open house on March 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Booming local restaurant scene

Beyond the city’s affiliation with Waffle House, Avondale Estates continues to experience a restaurant boom. The newly constructed Olive + Pine is home to Korean and sandwich shop Leftie Lee’s, listening bar Commune, bar and pizza joint Nite Owl, and Japanese teppanyaki spot Enso Izakaya. Arepa Mia opened an Avondale Estates location in 2012, with Michelin recognizing the Venezuelan restaurant in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 dining guides to Atlanta and the American South.

Other notable Avondale Estates restaurants include Savage Pizza, Rising Son, sandwich shops The Little Hippo and Billy’s, Kafeino, Santo Cantina and Cocina, bakery-cafe Galette, and The Stratford Pub. The city is also home to breweries like Wild Heaven Beer and The Lost Druid. 

“I think our community loves to support those types of restaurants. The city is trying to do things it can to open Avondale’s doors to larger communities and wider audiences,” Bryant told Rough Draft. “We are all about economic diversity, and we’re trying to become one off those destination cultural hubs of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Quality restaurants are a part of that.”