This past weekend, Waffle House locations throughout the South took the unusual step of closing their doors as a significant winter storm loomed over much of the country. It seems like a serious indication of the chaos ahead.
The 24-hour breakfast chain, known for its resilience during bad weather, closed its teppanyaki restaurants on Saturday as winter storm Fern passed through the Midwest and East Coast. Stores in states like South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi went into what is described as “Code Red,” according to various media reports.
In South Carolina, an ice storm warning was issued for the first time since 2005, prompting Waffle House employees to suggest widespread closures across the state.
A waitress in Greenville shared with a publication that her restaurant shut down at 5 p.m. on Saturday. It was unexpected for the staff, who had been working there for almost a decade without ever experiencing a closure due to weather in a storm-prone area.
Employees in Georgia noted that this was their first early closure in five years of working at the chain due to weather conditions.
“It’s crazy,” the worker remarked, adding a note of concern for everyone affected.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, four Waffle House outlets in Vicksburg also closed on Saturday, as local authorities advised residents to remain indoors until 5 p.m. due to hazardous ice and frigid temperatures.
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the late-night diner was closed on Saturday, with a sign posted on the door promising to reopen at 7 a.m. the following day.
Waffle House is so dedicated to remaining operational during tough situations that FEMA has developed the Waffle House Index—a non-official scale for measuring disaster severity. If a restaurant is fully operational, the index is “green”; if it has a limited menu, it’s “yellow”; and when it’s closed, “red” indicates complete closure.
Forecasters have warned that this storm could represent a “widespread, potentially catastrophic event” from Texas all the way to the Carolinas.
