Waffle House locations across the South locked their doors in a rare move as a monster winter storm threatens much of the country this weekend — a stark warning of the havoc to come.
The 24-hour Southern breakfast chain, famous for rarely closing in bad weather, shut down its griddles as locations in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi went into a “Code Red” Saturday as Winter Storm Fern barrels across the Midwest and East Coast, multiple outlets reported.
In South Carolina — where the incoming system has prompted its first ice storm warning since 2005 — Waffle House employees signaled widespread closures across the Palmetto State, The Post & Courier reported.
A Greenville-based waitress told the outlet the iconic breakfast joint where she works closed at 5 p.m. Saturday — a shock for the employee, who has served waffles there for nearly a decade and never witnessed a preemptive weather-related closure in the hurricane-plagued state.
A Georgia employee reportedly said it was the first time in her five-year tenure that the casual dining chain had shuttered early due to a storm.
“That’s insane,” the worker told the outlet.
“Stay safe everyone!”
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, four Waffle House locations in Vicksburg closed Saturday after officials urged residents to stay indoors by 5 p.m. due to the dangerous icy conditions and bone-chilling temperatures, WAPT reported.
In Tennessee, the all-night diner in Murfreesboro closed its doors Saturday — leaving just a sign on the door saying it would reopen Sunday at 7 a.m., according to WSMV.
Waffle House’s dedication to staying open even in the worst of times led the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create the “Waffle House Index,” an informal measure of the severity of a disaster.
The index, coined by former FEMA boss Craig Fugate, is “green” if one of its restaurants is serving a full menu, “yellow” if the menu is limited and “red” if the eatery is closed altogether.
Forecasters warned the storm would be a “widespread, potentially catastrophic event” from Texas to the Carolinas.
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