There aren’t many certainties we can count on in life, but there’s almost always one thing, rest assured, that can be relied on and that’s finding an open Waffle House restaurant when you need it most. To that point, the only time you won’t find one open – especially in the southeast U.S. – is during a truly catastrophic hurricane.
If the hurricane doesn’t threaten general livelihood, a Waffle House will necessarily be prepared to serve anyone who walks through their welcoming doors. This is due to the chain’s acute preparedness at all times. It’s become so accurately tethered to the level of pending disaster in a community that you can gauge whether or not you should stay inside depending on whether your local Waffle House is open for business.
Due to the effectiveness of its logistical planning and disaster recovery preparedness, government officials have unofficially been utilizing the so-called “Waffle House Index.” It’s a barometer for how quickly a community is going to recover after a disaster.
Whether brilliantly strategic business acumen or just a basic understanding of supply and demand, Waffle House and others in the private sector are usually very effective at getting things done and being prepared to take a hit. All necessary resources are accounted for and allotted based on each restaurant’s location and need. This includes everything from generators and gas to maple syrup and waffle batter. Waffle House’s director of public relations, Pat Warner, explained, “We try to plan, and our plan gets us up to the storm. Once the storm hits, we really just react.”
Waffle House typically begins preparation for a storm days out from within their “Waffle House Storm Center” located at the company’s Norcross, Georgia headquarters. Military-grade logistics operations spring to action in order to make their disaster plans functional and pragmatic when the storm makes its presence known. Waffle House “Jump Teams” are assembled and put on standby in the event that a restaurant’s power goes down. They can be quickly deployed to any location to get things back up and running after a storm.
Because the private sector is driven ultimately by the needs and wants of the paying public, more often than not it delivers goods and services in a more accurate and timely fashion than public institutions. That’s why, when a storm’s brewing, you can usually count on Waffle House to keep their coffee brewing, too!
Have a great week,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 10-7-19
