What is the Waffle House Index - Why the government says it works

article A Waffle House restaurant on July 30, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. The restaurant chain created in the state of Georgia in 1955 now has over 1,900 locations in 25 states in the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Brief With a reputation of being open late, and always when you desperately need a warm place to sit and eat, it has become much more reliable. The former administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he came up with the "Waffle House Index" while leading Florida’s emergency management efforts.The company even operates their own storm center with their social media accounts sharing a color-coded map of their locations in particular regions that may be hit by a storm or are recovering from storm damage.  One favorite restaurant chain of the South, somehow plays an important role when it comes to measuring the impact of a storm and how it will affect a community.  Waffle House is known for serving home-cooked-esque breakfast, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s the one place many Southerners know they can go out to and have a warm meal, cooked to order, no matter the time or day, 365 days a year.  Big picture view: With a reputation of being open late, and always when you desperately need a warm place to sit and eat, it has become much more reliable. For years, many customers have noticed that their local Waffle House would be the only business still open during a storm or the first to reopen afterward. The backstory: In 2004, Craig Fugate, former administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he came up with the "Waffle House Index" while leading Florida’s emergency management efforts. He was surveying areas of devastation after Hurricane Charley, looking for a place to sit down and eat while he worked, only finding a Waffle House open. Fugate and his team began to notice other Waffle Houses without power or running water, still open. The restaurants would eventually become a key feature on a color-coded map that was provided to the public and local officials to show the areas that had the worst damage.  Fugate continued using the color-coded system after joining the Obama administration as FEMA administrator, relying on the status of local Waffle House restaurants to help assess the devastation following the deadly 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Waffle House business strategy during storms Dig deeper: Waffle House executives have embraced their niche as a go-to authority in storm severity. The company saw business skyrocket in restaurants that quickly reopened after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. According to their website, they lean into the strategy of keeping their restaurants open during and after a disaster by investing in portable generators, using a mobile command center and training employees on what they can still serve if they lose electricity.   The company even operates their own storm center. Their social media accounts share a color-coded map of their locations in particular regions that may be hit by a storm or are recovering from storm damage.  Why you should care: Customers can gauge a storm’s severity by the food they serve. Red means the location is closed, and unsafe conditions in the surrounding community. Yellow means the restaurant is operating on a limited menu (and power) so food and supplies in the area may be limited. People can take this as a sign that the area may not have running water or electricity. And of course, green means all systems go, syrup is flowing, bacon is frying and the waffles (and food in the surrounding community) is hot.  While the Waffle House Index may sound like an unusual way to measure a disaster, it has become a recognizable indicator of how communities are holding up in the aftermath of a storm. After all, when even Waffle House closes its doors, you know things are serious. The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.   WeatherU.S.Severe Weather