The Waffle House Index ... Anytime there's a powerful storm, like a hurricane, there are always some residents who decide to hunker down and ride it out. Many simply shrug off the warnings from local officials -- but oftentimes, it takes Waffle House to express just how dangerous an approaching storm is. The restaurant chain, which takes pride in always staying open, activated its storm center yesterday ahead of Hurricane Ian and issued a code red for parts of Florida in the storm's path, meaning the storm is so bad and too dangerous for Waffle House locations to remain open. In fact, FEMA uses what it calls the "Waffle House Index" to better understand how a big storm is affecting local businesses and their ability to rebound following a storm.