Gov. Mike Huckabee is officially freaked out by the coronavirus: Waffle House is beginning to shut down some of its diners. More than 400 to be exact.
“We are at DefCon 2 when Waffle House starts closing stores due to the virus,” Huckabee wrote in jest. “God help us all! The end is near!”
Okay, America- @realDonaldTrump may not tell you, but we are at Defcon 2 when @WaffleHouse starts closing stores due to virus! God help us all! The end is near! https://t.co/6n6rj95xY9
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 25, 2020
The nationally-known dine-in breakfast and burger joint is known for being open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Waffle House has also been known to stay open during severe weather – from hurricanes to tornadoes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) actually has an unofficial way to gauge the severity of a disaster site. They call it the Waffle House Index.
The index has three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:
- GREEN: full menu – restaurant has power and damage is limited or no damage at all.
- YELLOW: limited menu – no power or only power from a generator, or food supplies may be low.
- RED: the restaurant is closed – indicating severe damage or severe flooding.
In other words, if your local Waffle House is closed you might want to head to your designated safe space.
USA Today has reported more than 400 stores have been temporarily closed due to the coronavirus. The Washington Times has also said that “the latest tally indicates Waffle House has shuttered scores of more restaurants in a span of roughly 24 hours.”
#WaffleHouseIndexRed: 418 Waffle House restaurants closed. 1,574 open.
Call your local Waffle House today for a carry-out order.
Visit https://t.co/TJdYpTHQPn for specific restaurant details. pic.twitter.com/tOQib3gSoZ— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) March 25, 2020
Now before you panic, you can still get your waffles and hash browns. Just like many other restaurants, you’ll just have to get it as a carryout order.
In order to keep up with all of the Waffle House news, check them out on Twitter.
If you have any stories such as this, feel free to shoot us an email or leave a message on our Facebook Page.