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In a lighthearted yet increasingly necessary clarification, TSA confirmed that, despite internet jokes, a Waffle House employee ID does not meet the standards of a federally recognized Real ID.
The chatter started when Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci tweeted a bright-yellow laminated Waffle House ID with his name and meteorologist title on it this week, writing, “TSA might want RealID, but I have the realest ID.”
The post quickly went viral, racking up over 2.2 million views. It even caught the attention of the official TSA account two days later, which replied, “Respectfully, no… Waffle House IDs will not suffice as a Real ID alternative (sorry).”
The humorous exchange with the meteorologist and eatery super fan brings to mind the Waffle House Index, an informal metric used by FEMA to assess the severity of natural disasters, especially hurricanes, based on whether Waffle House restaurants in affected areas stay open.
Since nearly all Waffle House locations are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even on holidays, the chain is known for its disaster preparedness and resilience. As former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate told the Wall Street Journal in 2011, "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That's really bad. That's where you go to work."
The Waffle House Index uses a simple three-color system to reflect the severity of a disaster’s impact on a local area.
A green rating means the Waffle House is fully operational and serving its full menu, indicating that the area has experienced minimal damage or disruption.
A yellow rating signifies that the restaurant is open but operating on a limited menu, often due to power outages, staffing shortages, or supply chain issues, suggesting moderate impact but still-manageable conditions.
A red rating means the Waffle House is completely closed, which is rare and typically signals severe damage, unsafe conditions, or significant infrastructure failure in the area.
The ID kerfuffle recalls TSA’s recent post about using Costco IDs at the airport security counter.
"We love hotdogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not," the TSA said in a post last week on social media.
The TSA Costco post came a few days after Chowhound published an article titled, "How Your Costco Card Could Save You At The Airport." They later updated it to clarify that "TSA does not explicitly state you can use a Costco card as a form of identification.”
