The division manager over four Waffle House locations in Vicksburg made waves on social media when she announced on Monday that the restaurants would be “to-go only” on Friday and Saturday nights due to safety concerns.
The manager, Hope Baker, posted that the Waffle Houses in Vicksburg will, for the foreseeable future, close their dining rooms at 11 p.m. on weekend nights and that security will be increased.
“I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” Baker wrote. “But ultimately the decision is being made for the safety of our employees and customers.”
The announcement received a rash of negative attention as Vicksburg citizens and other Mississippians pointed to crime and a shrinking population as reason for larger concern. But Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs attempted to quell those concerns and shed light on the situation in a Wednesday conversation with SuperTalk Mississippi News.
“It’s not a safety issue that we could patrol or control in the city of Vicksburg,” Flaggs said, emphasizing that the decision was made by the corporate Waffle House office in Norcross, Ga.
“[Waffle House] told us that it just wasn’t feasible to put the workforce on the inside and at the same time pay for security on the outside. Vicksburg’s no different from any other city in terms of the safety of our restaurants.”
Flaggs pointed to a juvenile curfew currently being enforced in the city, which restricts minors from being on the streets after 11 p.m., as evidence of the municipality’s ongoing public safety efforts. He also wants citizens to know it’s safe to still visit their favorite restaurants.
“I would say, emphatically, it’s safe to go out in Vicksburg,” Flaggs concluded. “It’s safe to go out. It’s not safe for juveniles to be out in the streets due to our curfew. But adults can go out and participate at any restaurant.”
