Reasoning with Hurricane Season, Corporations Need to Communicate Continuity to Customers

As the tropics heat up and major storms have, and will impact the Southeastern United States, corporations need to pay particular heed to how they communicate their preparedness during the Atlantic hurricane season.  From restaurants, to banks, to retailers, customers must have confidence that their favorite businesses have plans to weather natural disasters and rebound as quickly as possible to minimize disruption to their operations.

One regional business has done this so well that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses their business continuity plan as an index to gauge a storm's impact.  The Waffle House; that ubiquitous chain of diners dotting every Interstate exit from Virginia to Texas, has perfected their business continuity model so that they can continue to operate during and after most hurricanes and severe storms.  In a recent article published on National Public Radio’s Website, Waffle House says it feels it has a special obligation to their customers because they are proud of the fact that they are always stay open for them.  

In all but the very worst of storms, Waffle House has a track record of staying open and being one of the few restaurants available to customers when their hometown may be in complete disarray.  This record of success comes from planning that begins with careful supply-chain management and culminates in uniform disaster preparedness procedures for all of its restaurants.  These plans and procedures allow each store to operate at various levels of service based on the severity of a storm’s damage – Full Menu Service, Limited Menu Service, or in rare cases they will remain closed due to severe damage to their facilities.

The Waffle House is an American icon that has often fed many people when they were literally the only game in town for a warm meal after a natural disaster.  Their ability to plan to remain operational, in spite of disaster, has led to a storyline that corporations seek to learn from, business schools study and the Federal Government follows.  As Pat Warner, a Waffle House official, quipped in the NPR Article, “To be honest, we just cook bacon and eggs. But sometimes you need bacon and eggs."

Nick Callahan