Waffle House, the breakfast cafe known for staying open during most natural disasters, has closed 365 of its 1,627 locations across the United States due to the coronavirus, including franchised stores in Chattanooga where the city has ordered all indoor seating restaurants to close.
Waffle House announced the closings in a Facebook post on Tuesday, and also said it is focused on keeping its nearly 45,000 employees working and customers safe during the ongoing pandemic.
The web post did not specifically mention the reason for the closing, although some of its restaurants are in cities where restaurants have been ordered closed.
Previously, the company said on Facebook that "we take great pride in being open to serve the communities where we work, live and raise our families.
"Our mission has been to provide an essential service in our communities during difficult times for all, including first responders and health care providers" the company said in a statement last week.