Southern Hospitality: Home Depot, Chick-Fil-A and Others Open Doors to Snow-Stranded Drivers As a snowstorm turned Georgia and Alabama into a scene out of a zombie movie, businesses lent a helping hand.
By Kate Taylor
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It only took a few inches of snow to leave thousands of drivers stranded across the South, as inaccurate weather predictions and lack of planning led to backups lasting hours in Alabama and Georgia. Thankfully, there were businesses willing to extend some Southern hospitality to the marooned drivers.
Unspeakably horrible commute stretches into 16th hour. Some slept at a CVS. #atlweather http://t.co/VxtHY6PX36 pic.twitter.com/9f0F22RH5x
— AJC (@ajc) January 29, 2014Motorists, including parents attempting to pick their children up from school, buses full of students, diabetics and one woman who gave birth in the back of her car, were stuck – many overnight – without food, water or shelter.
With emergency vehicles struggling to reach those in need, individuals and businesses took it upon themselves to help in any way possible.
People broke out the lawn chairs in Home Depot last night in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/WxmtT5U5g6
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) January 29, 2014Related: Franchise Players: An Auntie Anne's Franchisee on the Importance of Seeking Advice
Home Depot quickly turned a number of its stores into shelters on Tuesday night. The Atlanta-based company kept 26 stores open all night long across Alabama and Georgia.
A big shoutout to @Publix during this #atlweather! Closed, but opened doors for bathroom, food, shelter for Mom & I pic.twitter.com/iAu28eQQKH
— Mallory O'Brien (@mallory_obrien) January 29, 2014Grocery stores, including Publix and Kroger, had plenty of floor-space, as uncomfortable as it may be, to offer to drivers stuck overnight, along with much needed food. Stores reopened in the storm to provide bathroom, food and shelter. CVS and Target also offered opened their doors to fatigued and hungry drivers.
Any #TracFanatics stuck on the road? All #Georgia stores are offering #free #coffee, #cappuccino and #hotchocolate all night. Stay warm!
— RaceTrac (@RaceTrac) January 29, 2014Chains such as Chick-Fil-A and convenience store RaceTrac offered food to motorists stuck for hours in the cold. A Chick-Fil-A outside of Birmingham, Ala. handed out hundreds of sandwiches for free along the highway, while RaceTrac is offered free coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate in all Georgia stores up until 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
While the weather outside may be frightful, it's nice to see businesses willing to extend some Southern hospitality when communities need it the most.
Related: How to Stay Calm in a Crisis
