Georgians without power seek warmth at Waffle House, shelters

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Some people braved the single-digit temperatures and high winds to grab a bite to eat, work, and do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

The weather didn’t deter sisters Ryan and Heather Jolley from finding a present for the last person on their shopping list.

“It might as well be snowing if it’s this cold,” said Heather.

“She’s hard to shop for because we want to buy her everything because she’s our mom,” said Ryan.

Ken Roberts lost power, but he said he wouldn’t let it ruin his plans. He has a long-standing tradition of visiting Waffle House when he’s visiting Atlanta During the holidays. He met his friends Nick Caceres, Matt Mcguffey, and Conor Croft in Boy Scouts. He remembered going to Waffle House as a group.

“After Boy Scouts, we would come to Waffle House. When we would all be in town for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or whatever, we would get together to see how everyone is doing,” said Roberts

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For Waffle House employees, their yellow sign can signal a safe haven. Simel Boyd, Senior Vice President of Waffle House, said they stocked up on generators to keep the stoves running.

“If we’re closed, you might want to leave town,” said Boyd. “We want to be that place where customers know that even if it’s cold you can come in and get a hot meal and a hot coffee.”

With her breath visible, Chelsea McCord is sticking out the cold armored with layers and a heater in her Soul Stone Junkie pop-up Christmas booth.

“Some people bring their kids to this and some people every year the same people come back and they want to see the familiar face,” McCord said.

Wanting to see smiles on faces, when someone buys something special

“I think families getting out and making holiday traditions are important and needed,” McCord said.

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