Baptist CEO trades in suit for spatula for Waffle House service

You would be surprised by how many similarities there are between working for Baptist Health Care and its neighborhood Waffle House at 53 Brent Lane.

Both welcome the community in with a “come as you are” mentality, at all hours, without consideration for incoming hurricanes or holidays. Guests spend the best and worst days of their lives in their lobbies. The work is fast-paced, staff are constantly thinking on their feet. Attention to detail is critical to keep the entire operation from descending into chaos.

Wednesday morning, diners had the pleasant surprise of having their Texas melts and hash brown bowls prepared by Baptist Health Care CEO Mark Faulkner and Chief Development Officer KC Gartman, to whom the similarities of the companies were glaring.

“At Baptist, we’re so excited to be here at this new location, we wanted to say hello to our friends at Waffle House,” Faulkner said Wednesday, explaining the reason he was working the griddle.

Last month, the hospital relocated to its new location, a 57-acre, $65 million campus at the intersection of Brent Lane and Interstate 110. The location is about a three-minute drive from the Waffle House, so the Baptist executives dropped in to help out their new neighbors and introduce themselves to the community in the fun event.

"There are a lot of parallels. It is a fast-paced environment, sometimes it’s complicated, sometimes it calms down. You just never know (who is) going to walk in and how we can meet that need," Faulkner said.

Gartman added, “Working in a hospital, our clinicians have to work at a very fast pace. They have to be able to take care of multiple patients at one time but be accurate in the way that they are providing their care. We’ve tried to be accurate with our cooking. The Waffle House team has been phenomenal. They’ve really opened their arms to us. I would just say more than anything, we’re here because Bert Thornton tricked us!”

Bert Thornton joined the Waffle House company in 1971, moved his way up to vice president in just four years, took the helm fully in 2004 as president and chief operations officer, and went on to have a 40-year career at the Waffle House.

He couldn’t help but keep a close eye on Faulkner as the edges of the bacon he was grilling curled up from under the press.

“Listen to me,” Thornton said softly as he pulled Faulkner aside for a “coaching point.”

There should always be a “dog-ear” on the bacon sticking out from under the press to ensure it’s not overcooked, he explained, pulling a napkin out of the dispenser to craft a makeshift demonstration, recruiting a stray menu and coffee spoon for more props.

After the lesson concluded, Faulkner returned with a single strand of bacon on the plate – with Thornton’s nibble off the edge marking a seal of approval – and a new understanding of the high standards the Waffle House was built upon.

It was no coincidence that each of the 2,000-plus locations across the country deliver consistency whether you arrive for breakfast at 7 a.m. or wander in after a concert late in the night, Thornton said.

It comes down to the details, like the “white on the right” motto that ensures the sugar is always on the right side of the napkin dispenser when an employee is standing behind it.

Why does any of that matter? Thornton will tell you it's for sanity.

Gartman said that these values aren’t all that different than what Baptist stands by in delivering dependable service.

“At Baptist, our mission is helping people throughout life’s journey and we, too, love to serve. This is just one way for us to get out into the community, as Mark said — we’re here. We’re in the neighborhood, and we’re ready to serve you,” Gartman said.

They would not only quickly learn the complexities of working in an extremely high-volume kitchen, but the task of perfectly combing together hickory smoked ham, diced tomato, jalapeño, grilled onion and double slice of American cheese to craft the tricky concoction that is Waffle House’s Fiesta Omelet.

“We use a lot of acronyms in healthcare, they use a lot of acronyms here (at Waffle House),” Faulkner said of learning Waffle House operations.

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Little did he know, an old-fashioned was more than just a classic bourbon cocktail, but a way to make a standard omelet when he is in the Waffle House kitchen.

“Who knew, right?” Faulkner quipped.

Megan Morin, who has been a salesperson at Waffle House for six years, since she was 17, said she can typically sort out the experienced from the novice by the number of plates they can stack up their arm, versus the newbies that only pick up a plate or two at a time timidly. Even though it’s easy to guess where Faulkner and Gartman fell on her radar, the laughter that filled the kitchen helped make her shift go by faster. Their efforts also meant something to her.

“I love (working at Waffle House), I make really good money. I try to make as much money as I can just because I want to build up for my future,” Morin said. “I like to see that it’s not us small people (here,) they (Baptist) are coming to represent us as well. They do care about us, and I really love that. … They’re getting the hang of it. I heard they had a few days of training, but Waffle House takes forever to learn sometimes.”

By rubbing shoulders with longtime employees like Morin, they were able to get a better picture of the people that their hospital is there to serve.

“Just looking around the restaurant, it mirrors the diversity of our community and those that we serve. You have CEOs of corporate organizations here down to people that are hourly workers just trying to make a living,” Gartman said.

Faulkner said, “It’s important to really know the community. We know the community in a lot of ways … but just getting to know the community like this – because this represents a whole strand of our community. And understanding their needs so we can better meet them. Our mission is helping people throughout life’s journey, that means all people. That means the beginning of life, the end of life, and everything in between. Healthcare is rapidly changing, and we want to make sure we stay in touch with the community to constantly continue to meet those needs.”

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Baptist Health Care employees take on a shift at Waffle House