The diner is quintessentially American. Diners have a casual atmosphere with sit-down counters that front an open linear kitchen. Historically, many diners were prefabricated like mobile-homes. They were long and narrow and placed by roadways and transportation centers. They typically had extended hours of operation and served casual inexpensive meals, often with an emphasis on breakfast. They were long and narrow and placed by roadways and transportation centers.
They typically had extended hours of operation and served casual inexpensive meals, often with an emphasis on breakfast. The Waffle House is a contemporary diner franchise known for operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is said they serve over 2% of all the eggs consumed in the US. There are over 1900 locations in 25 states predominantly in the southeast. A Waffle House will close its doors only under the most extreme circumstances. This is why FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) uses the Waffle House Index to get an informal, real-time indicator of the severity of storm damage and an indication of the recovery assistance that will be required.
The Waffle House franchise has a very robust risk management and disaster preparedness protocol allowing their restaurants to remaining open even during extreme weather events.
When a location is required to close it reopens soon after the threat has passed. The Waffle House Index has three levels. The first is green or full menu, when the restaurant has power, food and minimal or no damage. The second level is yellow which indicates a limited menu due to damage, operating on generators or low food supplies. The third level is red, when the restaurant closes due to damage, severe flooding or destruction. This index not only provides valuable information regarding how a community is doing, but also provides signals on how quickly that community can recover. The buildings themselves are designed and built to be durable and resilient but the building’s program and systems provide essential community needs during times of stress. It is unexpected that this network of humble American diners can play such a critical role in our recovery infrastructure – providing the transparency needed for FEMA to do its work more effectively.
Well David…you definitely seem to have your finger on the pulse of what is important and with your own take on how to present these issues. Anthony Bourdain was a big WAFFLE HOUSE fan. Personally I love the place as well and wish there were a few in the Vegas area. I must say tho….every time I walk into this diner it seems to run on a wing and a prayer with a minimal staff covering all of the required tasks. And yet the staff always seem happy and are functioning as a team. It feels like a fine layer of grease covers every surface and cleanliness is sketchy. Not to mention an AED should likely be prominently displayed. Still….like you say….it feels like an American institution and I love them for ther inperfection and entirely unhealthy food. And there place in challenging climate change. Which might be a little sketchy too…????