[HN Gopher] How Waffle House helps Southerners and FEMA judge a ...
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How Waffle House helps Southerners and FEMA judge a storm's
severity
Author : geox
Score : 37 points
Date : 2024-10-09 19:26 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (apnews.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (apnews.com)
| cryptoz wrote:
| I thought this index was over, as Waffle House faced legal
| issues? And is now closing earlier than it would have. The index
| fell because it became an index (what's the name for that?)
| brianbreslin wrote:
| Who sued them over this? staff that had been endangered? waffle
| house seems to be proud of this WHI and mentions it on their
| website even. [1]
|
| [1] https://www.wafflehouse.com/how-to-measure-a-storms-fury-
| one...
| jabroni_salad wrote:
| It's my understanding that WH brings in a dedicated storm
| team to run affected stores rather than putting the screws on
| their regulars during a crisis.
| hydrogen7800 wrote:
| Goodhart's Law. https://xkcd.com/2899/
| ChrisArchitect wrote:
| See also: a new incarnation of this kind of thing a few months
| back,
|
| _Lacking official sources, some Texans use Whataburger app to
| track power outages_
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40927364
| aidenn0 wrote:
| > Golden hashbrowns, gravy-smothered biscuits and crispy waffles
| with a hearty helping of maple syrup are among the classic
| Southern comfort foods
|
| There are a lot of foods I associate with the south, but _maple_
| syrup is definitely not one of them.
| fat_cantor wrote:
| In the south, the term "maple syrup" is shorthand for "maple-
| flavored sugar-based syrup-like product"
| Fauntleroy wrote:
| The South... and most other places.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| It's been a while since I've been to a Waffle House, but IIRC
| they offer both a classic and a maple syrup.
| DowagerDave wrote:
| It's likely maple-flavoured corn syrup, so rest easy :)
| mikestew wrote:
| Well, what _else_ do you suggest that I put on my fried corn
| mush?
| aidenn0 wrote:
| This article is contrary to my understanding of the WHI. Waffle
| House doesn't know any more about a coming storm than FEMA, but
| how quickly (and fully) the Waffle Houses open _after_ a storm is
| a good indicator of how much damage was done and how quickly the
| area is bouncing back.
| itake wrote:
| I wish the article would communicate more about how WaHo does
| this. I see they tend to stock their stores with generators, but
| is that the only thing? Does WaHo have longer shifts, reducing
| the need for staff missing shifts? Why is WaHo a better indicator
| than other services, like public transit?
| Animats wrote:
| Here'e an old article about how they do it.[1]
|
| The Waffle House storm center.[2]
|
| They have an emergency menu mode. Only a few items are
| available, and those are all ones which can be prepared rapidly
| in bulk.
|
| Waffle House locations deliberately do not use any systems
| which require continuous Internet connectivity.
|
| [1] https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/waffle-house-stay-
| open-...
|
| [2] https://x.com/anothercohen/status/1843844655743688806
| TheColorYellow wrote:
| As a southerner who has also pondered this, I think it's simply
| the basic nature of the menu and local nature of the employees.
|
| Food is basically just pre-made batter, eggs, potatoes, and
| processed meat; all of which holds well and only requires
| limited refrigeration. Staff is pretty basic crew: Cooks and
| customers can order directly at the register if waiter isn't
| available.
|
| Add to that a culture of staying open at all costs and there
| you go.
| ryanchants wrote:
| They have jump teams that come in and help get things back up
| and running. Since the training of the staff is standardized,
| jump team members can staff the restaurant and get it back up
| and running while the regular employees take care of personal
| matters.
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(page generated 2024-10-09 23:00 UTC)