'Waffle House Index' shows how bad Hurricane Isaias was with how many restaurants closed
The 'Waffle House Index' has revealed how many of its restaurants are shut as a result of Hurricane Isaias.
A category 3 warning had been declared in three US states as Isaias, the first of the 2026 hurricane season, headed towards the Gulf Coast.
The states of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have been under high alert, though the hurricane has since been weakened into a post-tropical cyclone after first making landfall close to Destin in Florida.
While there are certainly more important things to monitor in the event of a tropical storm battering parts of the US, the Waffle House Index has been around for a while so people can monitor if their local Waffle House is open.
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The restaurant chain is known for its 24-hour, 365-day service, so is essentially always open unless exceptional circumstances are present.
Well, a hurricane certainly fits into that category, with a number of Waffle House restaurants closed as a result.
As of early on Saturday (October 10), at least 91 Waffle House's are closed, with 67 without power.
“We will reopen these locations as soon as we are able and it is safe to do so,” a Waffle House spokesman told Channel 2 Action News.
It's believed 17 restaurants are running on limited operations, though the other 1,166 locations across the US remain open, according to the index.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla, has previously urged those in Florida to take the storm seriously.
"Don’t be a knucklehead," he said. "Don’t think you can handle this storm, we’ve got 1.8 million new Floridians in the state of Florida since 2018. A lot of those folks have no idea what they’re in for."
The representative added: "I’m glad they’re in our state. I’m glad they’ve decided to retire here, bring their business, but they don’t know what a hurricane can do to them.
"Err on the side of caution. If you’re told to evacuate, please leave."
While the hurricane may have been downgraded in its power in recent days, flooding rain, isolated tornadoes and strong winds remain a threat across the Southeast on Saturday.
More than 860,000 customers remain without power in the southeast, including 438,911 customers in Florida, 307,743 in Alabama and 121,191 in Georgia, according to PowerOutage.com.
Sadly, authorities have confirmed a person has died in Birmingham, Alabama, after a tree fell on a home, while another person has died in Escambia County in Florida, according to a spokesperson speaking to CNN.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted no fatalities had been confirmed at state level.
“As of now, there have been no confirmed fatalities. I know that there is a news report of a fatality in Escambia County. That’s not yet been confirmed by the state, but that very well may be the case, and that was as a result, reportedly, of a downed tree,” DeSantis said in a press conference.
Callum Jones