India, Jan. 25 -- Waffle House is known for staying open when almost everything else closes, which is why rare shutdowns across the southern US during Winter Storm Fern have drawn attention. As ice, snow and freezing rain spread through several states, multiple Waffle House locations temporarily closed.

According to the New York Post, restaurants in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi either locked their doors or halted operations over the weekend as the storm intensified. The closures coincided with official warnings urging residents to stay off the roads amid deteriorating travel conditions.

In South Carolina, where the incoming system triggered the state's first ice storm warning since 2005, employees reported widespre...