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CF: If the Waffle House is closed, it's red. And they know if we can get the restaurant open it’s a good first step to getting the community back to normal,” Warner said. DB: And this right here is the moment the so-called Waffle House Index was born. So they take that responsibility seriously too because they want to be there for their customers, because it’s their community! They want to get their community back. “Outside of Tampa and Sarasota, where our associates were at the restaurants, waiting for us to get them open, because they want to get them open for their customers. And the company is invested in maintaining that.
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I am a regular customer to Waffle House and have talked to the staff there about their company views about being open when storms ravage the area.
#Waffle house index free#
You are buying from a local shop, not directly from a brand or ecommerce site. The Waffle House Index There are times when the free market can offer a better interpretation to weather and its impact than all the meteorologists combined. Hello Neighbor You are shopping Locally Thats right. Select a Language Choose currency: Apply. Warner says for many customers, Waffle Houses are a sign of normalcy. ® All Waffle House trademarks are owned by WH Capital, L.L.C. One thing FEMA noticed when entering these. Once an event has occurred in an area, FEMA starts to assess the impact on the community using supply chains that are in place and operating, utilities that are operating or in need of repair, home damage, etc. They ship in extra supplies before and after storms, and even send in managers from out of state to takeover. One indicator they informally use is The Waffle House Index, here’s how it works. He says Waffle House pours resources into its emergency response team. “Craig Fugate, the former FEMA administrator, actually when he was head of the Florida Emergency Management, he coined the Waffle House Index for Florida," Warner said. “Basically he would tell his people, drive to the first Waffle House that’s closed, because you know that’s where the damage is the worst." And for the 24/7 breakfast chain, that’s no coincidence.įEMA actually tracks the restaurant’s closures as a way to gauge how bad a storm was. When the location has been forced to close, the index is red. If it is open but serving from a limited menu, it’s yellow.
#Waffle house index full#
If your local Waffle House is open after the storm, your community is probably in pretty good shape. 'If a Waffle House store is open and offering a full menu, the index is green.
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