Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe founder Jimmy Chris dies at age 71

Jimmy Chris has passed away, but Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe, the iconic Franklin Street restaurant into which he poured his soul, will live on unchanged.

Chris, who opened the restaurant in late 1972 with now-deceased business partner Al Thomas, passed away March 2 at the age of 71.

From the very start, Chris made his beloved restaurant a family establishment.

The building that houses Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe had belonged to Chris’ relatives since 1940, and when he renovated he literally built his history into its walls.

While converting the structure into Ye Olde and PJ’s, now Four Corners, Chris made repairs using timber and brick from the demolished Greek Orthodox Church where he had married his wife, Linda, in 1968.

Together, the Chris family began perfecting recipes for Ye Olde’s Waffle Shoppe’s famous waffles and pancakes, which they sold at the store’s December 1972 opening and serve hot-off-the-griddle to this day.

“He was so concerned about the consistency that he would work every weekend,” Linda Chris said.

Chris’ daughters, Melissa Chris Peng and Nicole Harvey, also worked in the shop as teenagers.

Daisy Maness, the general manager of Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe, first became part of the store’s family in 1995. Now that Chris is gone, his family will own the store and Maness will continue to manage it.

“Our plan is to continue,” Linda Chris said. “We’ve been blessed to have a good staff, and that’s why we’ve made it for 40 years.”

UNC sophomore Maribel Portillo said Chris’ death is very sad, but she is glad that the family has decided not to make any changes.

“I’ve always felt that they do a really good job of making it homey and welcoming,” she said.

When Chris wasn’t serving customers at his restaurant — and after his retirement in 2004 — he spent time with his family or enjoyed one of his many hobbies.

Chris’ daughter Peng studied dance in college, and she said her father traveled to New York and Virginia just to see her choreography. He also spent time with his grandchildren, Daniel James Harvey and Maslyn Win Peng.

In his free time, he enjoyed golf, boating and tennis and once received a most-improved tennis player award from Tennis Magazine.

Chris also served as a father figure to future restaurateurs, including Rick Robinson, the executive chef at Gott’s Roadside in Napa Valley and Chris’ long-time friend.

“There are no words to describe how grateful I am to have known Jimmy,” Robinson said. “His kindness and support when I was a young man sent me down the road to a career that I still enjoy 33 years later.”

Though Chris will be deeply missed by his family and friends, Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe’s staff will continue his legacy.

“Jimmy always said, ‘When you come to the door, leave your troubles behind’,” Linda Chris said. “That is what Jimmy always did.”

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