Get All Access for $5/mo

Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Emotionally Receives Honorary Plaque at the Virginia Waffle House Where He Decided To Start His Company The tech maven popped by the food joint instead of taking his LSATs nearly 20 years ago.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Getty Images
Alexis Ohanian looks on prior to the Women's Singles Third Round match between Ajla Tomlijanovic of Australia and Serena Williams of the United States on Day Five of the 2022 US Open.

Talk about a full-circle moment!

Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian has officially received a plaque of honor at the Waffle House where he had the epiphany to start his company.

Located on Route 29 near the University of Virginia where he was a student, Ohanian visited the establishment in the middle of taking the LSATs nearly 20 years ago in an effort to refuel. Instead, he ended up with a complete life redirection.

"Thank you, Walt and the entire team -- not just for the plaque, but also for changing my life; I'd never have started @reddit without ya," Ohanian emotionally captioned the photo.

Ohanian, who is married to tennis superstar Serena Williams, took the couple's daughter, Olympia, to the exact restaurant last year and documented it on social media.

Though she was more impressed by the waffles than the old story, Ohanian took the time to share with her and the world just how important the restaurant was to his career about 19 years ago.

"If not for Waffle House, I might be a lawyer. Which no one would want," he joked on Instagram at the time. "But thankfully, in the middle of taking the LSAT, I got hungry and I got up and left and went to a Waffle House. And now I'm taking my daughter there, showing her the greatness that is Waffle House."

Thankfully Ohanian took his talents to found Reddit, which has an estimated 55.8 million daily active users and 1.66 billion monthly active users, per most recent data. He stepped down from day-to-day responsibilities in 2018 before formally stepping down from the company's board in 2020 to focus on other entrepreneurial efforts.

Ohanian's net worth is an estimated $100 million.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Living

70% of Small Business Owners Experience Monthly Burnout. Follow These 3 Rules to Avoid the Same Fate.

Here are three guidelines to help entrepreneurs achieve balance, growth and success in both their professional and personal endeavors.

Franchise 500 Annual Ranking

50 Franchise CMOs Who Are Changing the Game

Get to know the industry's most influential marketing power players.

Side Hustle

At Age 15, He Used Facebook Marketplace to Start a Side Hustle — Then It Became Something Much Bigger: 'Raised Over $1.6 Million'

Dylan Zajac, now a 21-year-old senior at Babson College, wanted to bridge the digital divide.