Walt Ehmer, Former Waffle House C.E.O., Dies at 58

Walt Ehmer, the former chief executive of Waffle House who steered the diner chain through the pandemic and preached spending more time in one of his 24-hour restaurants with the ubiquitous yellow sign than in his office, died on Friday. He was 58.

His death was confirmed by the alumni association of Georgia Tech, his alma mater, where he was an active member of various boards. In a statement, Waffle House’s board of directors said he died after a long illness but did not share the cause or location.

Waffle House was founded in 1955 by two neighbors in Georgia, and now has 2,000 locations across 25 states in the United States.

The chain is known for staying open at all hours, all year, and in difficult circumstances. Mr. Ehmer helped the company play a role as a gauge for the severity of a natural disaster, and the so-called Waffle House Index has been used by federal emergency management officials. If a Waffle House is closed, that means the community is in need of help urgently. If its menu is limited, it means food and power supplies in the area might be limited.

That was particularly true during the coronavirus pandemic, when Mr. Ehmer was one of few executives who insisted that his restaurants reopen for in-person dining during strict lockdowns.

“None of the people who make the decisions to shut down businesses and impact people’s livelihoods ever have their own livelihood impacted,” Mr. Ehmer told Business Insider in 2020. “We’re trying to provide reliable careers and jobs for people.”