Waffle House Is Temporarily Closing One-Fifth of Its Locations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Waffle House, a restaurant chain well-noted for its ability to remain open despite various circumstances, announced Tuesday it would be temporarily shuttering one-fifth of the restaurants under its umbrella. Through its social media platforms, Waffle House announced it would be closing 365 locations in areas that are currently being hit hardest via the coronavirus pandemic. A map posted to the official Waffle House Twitter feed today showed most locations being closed are in the American Rust Belt — the majority being in Ohio with additional in Illinois and Kentucky. Another area with substantial Waffle House closures is the Mid-Atlantic region with Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware.

#WaffleHouseIndexRed: 365 Waffle House restaurants closed. 1,627 open. pic.twitter.com/DhPtcI0Byd

— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) March 24, 2020

Shortly after Waffle House announced the closures, fans quickly took to Twitter to share a common idea — Waffle Houses rarely, if ever, close. In 2011, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate coined the "Waffle House Index," an informal scale in which the emergency judges the seriousness of disasters. A "green" level on the scale means Waffle House has a full menu and in turn, the local storm damage likely isn't severe. The "yellow" level is a partial menu, menu power in the area could be limited while the "red" level means the restaurant is closed and the area has likely suffered substantial damage.

Comments from Waffle House connoisseurs can be found below.

Cover photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images