Ask any southerner: Waffle House doesn’t close. It’s open 24/7, even on holidays — in fact, Christmas is its busiest day of the year. Its never-ending breakfast menu is a staple of American life.
So when Waffle House does close — when the bright yellow lights dim and the doors lock — you know things have gotten serious.
When a storm passes and you smell those hash browns frying again, it’s not just a diner reopening — it’s a sign that things are getting better.
Anyone who’s spent time at Waffle House knows it’s a bare-bones operation — simple booths, an open kitchen, and a no-frills menu from which you can even order a T-bone steak.
Waffle House restaurants are often located along highways in cities and small towns. They have a bit of a reputation for rowdiness, thanks to videos of late-night altercations surfacing online.
Yet the chain also has another, more surprising claim to fame: It’s uniquely well prepared for disasters.
Waffle House headquarters has a storm center and an entire operations and readiness team. Their extensive contingency plans include emergency response teams and pre-stocked supplies, making their closure or limited operation an indicator of something truly serious.
Scattered showers
The Waffle House Index is a term coined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to measure disaster severity based on the operational status of Waffle House restaurants. It’s kind of similar to the Big Mac Index, which correlates the exchange rate of a country to the local cost of a Big Mac.
Waffle House has more than 1,900 locations nationwide. Yet they all share a devotion to their surrounding community.
If a serious hurricane spirals out of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s most likely going to be faced with dozens of Waffle Houses — in 2022, Hurricane Ian knocked out at least 35 locations. FEMA noticed that these diners are so resilient that their status during hurricanes correlates with the impact of the disaster. It’s a quirky yet effective metric that exemplifies the odd but vital relationship between Waffle House and FEMA.
The Index has three levels:
- Green: Waffle House is fully operational with a complete menu. This indicates minimal damage.
- Yellow: The restaurant is open but serving a limited menu. Power outages or supply issues likely impacted operations.
- Red: Waffle House is closed. This is a serious situation, as these diners rarely shut down.
Seeing ‘red’
The Waffle House Index first gained traction after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Waffle House closures closely followed the storm’s path, with restaurants shutting down in the hardest-hit areas.
The correlation became apparent — when Waffle House closes, FEMA knows things are bad.
The “red” status was invoked across the Carolinas during Hurricane Florence (2018), as many locations shut down completely due to severe flooding and infrastructure damage
In 2021, Waffle House closures in Texas gave FEMA a critical indicator of the severity of the power grid failure and infrastructure breakdown across the state
And most recently, during Hurricane Helene, Waffle Houses across Florida’s Big Bend and inland areas hit “red” as the storm devastated the region, signaling the need for urgent relief efforts.
American water
I won’t dwell on the history and logistics of the Waffle House Index. Every time there’s a major hurricane, the news media is flooded with stories about it.
Instead, let’s consider the deeply American cohesion of a federal agency and a chain breakfast joint.
The dynamic is familiar: private and public sectors, industry and state, a corporation working alongside a government agency. In the wake of Helene and FEMA’s disastrous response, snarky memes flooded social media, insisting that Waffle House outperforms FEMA.
This is silly. Waffle House is not more prepared and equipped than FEMA. But that’s also the wrong comparison to make. The relationship is closer to the dynamic between local and federal. Waffle House is more American because it’s so personal and real. FEMA is more American in its budget, structure, and enormity. America is a beast with the wild heart of a high school dropout.
A symbol of recovery
Waffle House’s ability to remain open during disasters is due to its robust disaster preparedness. Each location has a crisis management plan, pre-stocked supplies, and emergency teams on standby. This level of preparation sets Waffle House apart as a symbol of community resilience during crises.
The faster a Waffle House reopens, the more resilient the area is. When a storm passes and you smell those hash browns frying again, it’s not just a diner reopening — it’s a sign that things are getting better.
After a few days of eating MREs, Waffle House is practically gourmet — warm food, shared with lines of fellow survivors.
In America, victory over nature is often celebrated with a greasy plate of eggs and hash browns. What could be more fitting?