Longtime Waffle House President & COO Bert Thornton teaches how to engage your team in conversation

Ep. 57: Georgia Tech football shaped this business icon. In 1971 Bert Thornton went to work at Waffle House flipping eggs and four decades later retired as the President and COO. His best leadership advice? Give out your cell phone number, because “when the trainees have access to the COO, communication improves among managers.” Each of the 11 million bowls of Bert’s Chili served annually is named for Thornton, who came up with the recipe when Waffle House moved into Texas in the 1980s.