Waffle House Index red flags Hurricane Milton and closes stores

Common sense would tell you concerned Floridians Hurricane Milton would go back to the news and to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be aware of the impact of the storm. But there is a third source that many southerners use that may come as a surprise.

The Waffle Houseiconic American restaurant chain with more than 1,600 locations known for cooking Southern breakfast foods, has developed an advanced storm center that FEMA is consulting with.

The chain prides itself on being open when its customers need it most, but is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, with most of its locations on the Gulf Coast, Florida, South and Mid-Atlantic. Waffle House said it “fully embraced its post-disaster business strategy after Hurricane Katrina,” when seven restaurants were destroyed and dozens closed.

After Katrina, the locations that were able to reopen were filled with people hungry for a hot meal. Waffle House took notice and “decided to strengthen its crisis management processes.”

“Senior managers developed a disaster recovery manual, stocked up on portable generators, bought a mobile command center and gave employees keys to emergency contacts.” the company said on his website.

Now, sales often double or triple following a storm. The company said it tries to be as prepared as possible for hurricanes so it can help the community.

“If you consider all the resources we deploy, the equipment we rent, the extra supplies trucked in, the extra labor we bring in, a place to sit, you can see we’re not doing it for the sales of those restaurants . generates,” Pat Warner, a member of Waffle House’s crisis management team, said on the company’s website.

Waffle House now has its own storm center, which Georgia Governor Brian Kemp visited on Tuesday.

The chain also developed the Waffle House Storm Index, which began after former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said, “What if you get there and Waffle House is closed? This is really bad. That’s where you go to work.”

Waffle House has labeled Milton, a Category 4 storm, a “Code Red,” meaning the company has closed locations in the storm’s path. A “Yellow” rating means the location will have a limited menu and the area may be without power. A “green” index means the store is operating normally.

In many hurricane-prone communities, people look to Waffle House’s decision to stay open or close as a sign if they should evacuate.

A Twitter user in Florida he wrote on Wednesday“Update: All Waffle Houses near our home are closed. If you don’t know, the only firm rule of hurricanes is that if a Waffle House closes, s—- gets real.”