The Surprising Role Of Waffle House In Hurricane Preparedness

Waffle House has its own storm center.

No, it isn't the name for some sort of breakfast meal that contains a flurry of sausage, eggs and hash browns in a bowl. It's an actual, working storm center that is utilized during natural disasters.

Why Does Waffle House Have A Storm Center?

Waffle House doesn't necessarily have the most advantageous restaurant footprint when it comes to avoiding areas where natural disasters tend to strike.

The company notes on its website that it "has 1,600 restaurants stretching from the mid-Atlantic to Florida and across the Gulf Coast, leaving it particularly vulnerable to hurricanes."

Waffle House was hit particularly hard in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina completely wiped out seven restaurants while shutting down another 100 locations. The disaster forced the company to reassess its emergency preparedness.

The Waffle House hurricane playbook was born, giving restaurants instructions on how to operate during and after emergencies. What can you serve without electricity? Can you get by without ice?

All of these things are covered in the manual. Additionally, Waffle House also purchased a mobile command center to further strengthen its disaster preparedness efforts.

The Atlanta-based company says "sales volume can double or triple in the aftermath of a storm."

How Does The Waffle House Index Work?

Waffle House's disaster preparedness has become so refined, the Associated Press says even FEMA began to factor the chain's storm predictions into its own plans.

Part of that is monitoring what is known as the Waffle House Index, which lets those seeking a meal know which locations are closed and which ones are operating in a limited capacity.

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Maps are color-coded. Green indicates a location is open 24/7 with a full menu. Yellow shows restaurants operating with limited service or menu. Red means that Waffle House location is closed.

In the hours leading up to Hurricane Milton making landfall in 2024, Waffle House was updating its maps. The brand's storm center looked at its weather data and predicted which locations should close immediately before Milton's arrival.

The information was updated as Milton's pattern changed or as restaurants were able to once again operate in full capacity.

The index can be a reliable source of storm information not only for residents in the area, but also for government officials.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has even been seen at Waffle House's Storm Center to oversee the operation before hurricanes arrive.