Waffle House refuses to close even when locations have no power or water - here are the secret emergency menus they use instead
- Waffle House has secret menus for emergencies, including "no water" and "no power" menus.
- Locations in DeKalb County are currently serving the "no water" menu, after a massive water main break in Georgia.
- Waffle House's dedication to remaining open despite natural disasters resulted in the creation of standardized menus to be used during emergencies.
- "If the restaurant has daylight and natural gas, we can cook something," a Waffle House representative told Business Insider.
Waffle House is pulling out one of its emergency menus, as DeKalb County in Georgia deals with a massive water main break.
On Wednesday morning, DeKalb County issued a massive boil water advisory, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Residents are told to boil water before drinking it, after a water main break caused flooding and mayhem in the area.
Despite the lack of readily-available water, Waffle House locations in the area are still serving up hot food.
"How bad is the water main break in DeKalb County? @WaffleHouse is breaking out the infamous 'no water' menu," WSB Radio's Mark Arum tweeted.
Waffle House representative Pat Warner confirmed to Business Insider that the chain had a national "no water" menu used in emergencies, and that just under 20 locations in DeKalb County are now serving the limited menu.
The locations are only serving six entrees, as well as bottled water and canned sodas. The "no water" menu also requires that locations use bottled water and serve food on disposable plates and cups.
This isn't Waffle House's only emergency menu, according to Warner. Over the years, the chain has developed standard menus for different situations to allow locations to continue to function in a wide variety of situations.
For example, when areas lose electricity, local Waffle Houses will start serving a limited "no power" menu.
"If the restaurant has daylight and natural gas, we can cook something," Warner said.
Waffle House is famously dedicated to staying open through natural disasters, something Warmer calls part of the chain's culture. FEMA even unofficially uses a "Waffle House Index" that determines the impact of a natural disaster by how many Waffle House locations are forced to close.
"If the community sees we're open, it kind of brings back a sense of normalcy," Warner told Business Insider.