NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Waffle House closes so rarely, FEMA uses it as an unofficial measurement for how serious a storm is.
It's called the "Waffle House Index."
True to form, Middle Tennessee's Waffle Houses mostly remained open, despite all the snow and ice tormenting the mid-state. The location on Dickerson Pike went to take out only due to staffing issues, but the signature yellow lights remained on.
It was a different story over at the new Whataburger location in Hermitage. The store that just opened Wednesday decided to close down at 1:30 p.m. Thursday to give their employees a chance to get home before all the ice froze back over.
That is a rarity for Whataburger locations. They've been known to stay open during ice storms in Texas and hurricanes in Florida. Bernard Salaney was the final car in line, before hired security guards had to start turning people away.
"Oh man, they’re cutting off the line so I’m the very last guy. So yeah, here I am," he said.
Meanwhile, a man named Bobby and his daughter were just two cars away from the cutoff. "Just coming by to see if I can get in here. Because it’s snowing I figured the line wouldn’t be wrapped around Lebanon Road so I figured I’d come up here and try it," he said.
Whataburger plans to reopen Saturday morning, if conditions improve.
