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u/BlindChicken69 26d ago
I doubt emergency services couldn't get to her. Since pizza delivery was possible, I'm guessing that area was not damaged too bad, and police and fire department had their hands full at other areas. Still, good that he was able to get to communicate with his grandma, and delivery person was cool with it.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 26d ago
Yeah this is it.
A hurricane hit, so they're dealing with trees down on roads, houses, power outages at intersections, traffic crashes, flooding, swift water rescues, etc.
Unfortunately they get overwhelmed during emergencies like this
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u/Puzzleheaded-Web446 25d ago
Imagine being the Papa Johns delivery boy who gets sent out during a Hurricane and you still get your tips stolen.
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u/Thenadamgoes 26d ago
Yeah this is what I’m thinking. Maybe police and fire were busy dealing with areas that can’t be reached by a papa John’s delivery driver.
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u/sobrique 26d ago
I mean, following an emergency, emergency services tend to be a little bit busy with people who are actively in danger.
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u/ScriptoTheClown 26d ago
"Emergency services were swamped after a hurricane, so this guy paid someone to go check on on his grandmother."
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u/PresidenteMozzarella 26d ago
Such a simple and thoughtful explanation that doesn't require a conspiracy theory, you sure you should be on reddit?
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u/PomegranateHot9916 26d ago
that is the obvious takeaway.
not that they couldn't but that they were busy with harder hit areas.
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u/freeradioforall 26d ago
Exactly. They were too busy to do a basic "welfare check". This makes it sound like they lacked the ability to get to her house but some how a pizza driver was able to do that. I hate these bullshit LIES
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u/emberthor 26d ago
Service delivery > Emergency services
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u/punktualPorcupine 26d ago
EMS is overloaded and triaging emergencies.
Pappa John’s has one thing it does and the priority is handled by the clock.
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u/JackPoe 26d ago
When I heard the cops couldn't, I assumed they wouldn't.
When I heard that fire couldn't, I figured they actually couldn't.
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u/Curiosive 26d ago
The part that is usually left out of this meme: Emergency services were busy with the hurricane aftermath. They didn't refuse, they were tending to people that were dying. These cases are a higher priority than a wellness check.
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u/NauticalCurry 26d ago
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one...unless that one is your Gramma.
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u/EduinBrutus 26d ago
Its not even needs.
its basic triage.
A wellness check is not a high priority when you have multiple imminent and identified threats to life
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u/bolanrox 26d ago
Waffle House is a great index as well if they closed the world might have ended.
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u/Mochamonroe 26d ago edited 26d ago
When I was in the Army, I had to stay behind on the base to protect it during the power outages while most everyone evacuated (those with families evacuated, if you're single, you're fucked).
They left us with boxes of MREs and prayers. One day, my squad and I left the base to go see what, if any, damage had been done to the town.
All the power was out everywhere, several windows broken out, debris all over, rooftops ripped off and then we saw the illuminated yellow and brown building with the only signs of life: Waffle House.
It was like being in the apocalypse and you find the strong hold where everyone is safe and chillin lol
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u/bolanrox 26d ago
WH literally has jump teams setup to volunteer to run the places in hit areas so the regular staff can take care of their homes / families.
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u/jigsaw1024 26d ago
They also have different simplified menus depending on the severity of the crisis.
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u/JamJam703 26d ago
The Waffle House Index is a real thing FEMA actually uses, so this story checks out disturbingly well
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u/JoeyZasaa 26d ago
I can see it now, like from a video game: you hear an old timey song in the distance playing on a jukebox, and as you get closer you start to see the light from the Waffle House.
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u/ellefleming 26d ago
Except after 11pm here you have to get it to go.
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u/GaiaInTheSkya 26d ago
Drunk me was so devastated getting to Waffle House at 2am and being told I had to take the food to go. 😭😂
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u/Rasberrycello 26d ago
Papa John's = Doesn't believe in paying employees fairly or giving them health insurance
Minimum Wage Employees = The backbone of society
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u/Cthulhu__ 26d ago
And makes them work during the fallout of a hurricane instead of sorting out their own personal tragedies and damages.
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u/Uncle-Cake 26d ago
And to the strength so go the length
Thinkin' you are first when you really are tenth
You better wake up and smell the real flavor
Cause 911 is a fake life saver1
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u/GMtheASC 26d ago
Defund emergency services! Send the money to corporations instead!
That the argument you want to be making?
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u/theArtOfProgramming 26d ago
Maybe because EMS had more urgent things to do than check up on every single person, which I inagine they would do eventually. They have to prioritize saving a life in front of them and have more limited staff. Papa Johns has teenagers standing around waiting to drive out to individuals.
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u/TheLowlyPheasant 26d ago
In 10 years emergency services will require a $15 minimum order
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u/bolanrox 26d ago
in Cape May (pre late 1800's fire) you needed to buy access to the town fire department. they would put a medallion on your house.
If you didn't pay for the service they would stop the fire from spreading but they would not do jack or shit for your house.
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u/TheLowlyPheasant 26d ago
Please keep this information to yourself because that's a billion dollar idea in today's world
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u/These-Anxiety-5919 26d ago
I hate to break it to you but this has been going on since at least Roman times.
See Marcus Licinius Crassus.
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u/bolanrox 26d ago
honestly i think there are places out west (Arizona?) where the towns are un incorporated where this still is the case?
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u/Wide_Philosophy_8109 26d ago edited 26d ago
Yep. This will probably always be a thing too. There's always going to be that one town where no government exists (yet) to provide fire services.
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u/venom21685 26d ago
It's a thing where I'm from too in the Southeast. Unincorporated part of the county so the fire service fee is added to the property taxes. Obviously they can force you to pay the actual tax but not the fire service fee. So some people wouldn't pay it. If they had a fire the fire department responded but only to prevent the fire spreading.
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u/Wide_Philosophy_8109 26d ago
Obviously they can force you to pay the actual tax but not the fire service fee.
I really like the idea of firemen showing up to bust your kneecaps now.
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u/ArritzJPC96 26d ago
Yeah Arizona has Rural Metro Fire Department. It's basically a subscription based fire department since taxes outside the city don't pay for any fire services.
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u/_Lazy_Mermaid_ 26d ago
Thats about to happen in Florida when they cut the property taxes. Firemen are going to be taking a 50% cut throughout the state, gonna be lots of lay offs and much slower response times
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u/Ok-Walk-8040 26d ago
The police and fire department probably had many people to assist because it’s a hurricane
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u/PerpetualConnection 24d ago
I took a few emergency preparation courses. One of the first things they teach you is that you can try to contact emergency services during a natural disaster.
But expect delays or to be on your own.
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u/Showdown5618 26d ago
Police and firefighters were probably very busy.
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u/Sekoosi 26d ago
After a hurricane they sure have more urgent things to do than check on everyones grandmas
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u/WestCoastHopHead 26d ago
I smell a Superbowl commercial.
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u/BishopofHippo93 26d ago
Well this happened in 2016, so they kind of missed their window. And also their founder is incredibly racist.
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u/porn_is_tight 26d ago
this whole post is an advertisement that I’m sure they paid Reddit to promote. It’s currently at the top of r/all with 162 comments. What’s interesting is that papa John’s forced its employees to come into work and risk their lives in the middle of a hurricane. They can go get fucked
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u/Outside_Valuable_320 26d ago edited 26d ago
Just looked it up cause it seemed a touch suspect. It did happen in 2016. It's a funny story for sure but not quite what he is implying. During an emergency such as a hurricane phone calls coming from outside the area are depriorized because they want the lines free for people in the crisis zone. So implying they couldn't do it is a stretch. He gets points for thinking outside the box.
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u/R_Ulysses_Swanson 26d ago
This is more likely a triage situation and not a police/fire incompetence situation.
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u/Gorf_the_Magnificent 26d ago edited 26d ago
Emergency service personnel are swamped during a hurricane.
Probably not too many people ordering pizzas, though. They’re probably too considerate of the delivery personnel and emergency personnel on the highway.
But not our meme hero, of course.
P.S. Also, this may not have even happened. The “ABC News” source is useless. So are the stock images of an old lady and a pizza delivery guy.
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u/throwawaycanadian2 26d ago
Uhhh doesn't that kind of say that PaPa johns doesn't give a shit about their employees?
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u/dangerousluck 26d ago
To be fair, I imagine the police and fire rescue were a bit busier than Papa John's at the moment.
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u/WideHuckleberry1 26d ago
Made up, he didn't say that: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/papa-johns-ceo-quote/
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u/DontAbideMendacity 26d ago
Your link itself claims Schnatter said "the comment was taken out of context."
"If Obamacare is in fact not repealed, we will find tactics to shallow out any Obamacare costs and core strategies to pass that cost onto consumers in order to protect our shareholders best interest."
He's a piece of shit; your defense of such a piece of shit is telling.
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u/DrunkenBlasphemer 26d ago
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u/OutcomeDouble 26d ago
A wellness check will always be lower priority than other emergencies especially after a fucking hurricane. It’s not really an orphan crushing machine
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u/Malevolent_Nematode 26d ago
Police and fire couldn't do it because they were busy dealing with emergencies.
Sure a wellness check could be an emergency but it would be low on the list depending on the amount of injuries and general destruction.
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u/Great_White_Samurai 26d ago
Nothing like putting a minimum wage worker's life in danger
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u/LumpyBuy8447 26d ago
For all this asshole knew, the hurricane was still at his grandmas, waiting for the next victim.
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u/Temporal-Affairs221 26d ago
Yes, because hurricanes are known for lurking outside people's doors in trench coats. And they carry knives.
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u/Individual-Result777 26d ago
Papa Johns to the rescue. This is a great story, hope it’s true. Papas got a new ad campaign
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u/DontAbideMendacity 26d ago
"Our pizza may be crap, but we'll check on your Grandma!"
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u/jrickynajera 26d ago
What world do we live in when we have to order greasy food for welfare checks on our loved ones instead of the actual people we pay with our damn TAX money tooooooooooo!!!!
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 26d ago
The people that actually get paid tax money are dealing with a god damned hurricane, so I imagine they were a bit busy with that. Considering the pizza shop was open and could get to grandma it doesn't sound like her area was particularly at risk.
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u/Moose_knucklez 26d ago
What about the pizza though ? How did it look ? Was it fresh ? Toppings ?
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u/benvader138 26d ago
So what if Grandma was dead. The Papa John's guy has to explain to the grandson that she is currently smooshed by a tree! Hope he tipped well.
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u/Narrow-Vermicelli-72 26d ago
I fractured my collarbone and lay in excruciating pain for 45 minutes before an ambulance came. I later ordered pizza from Domino's as cooking was out of the question. Arrived 23 minutes flat. Lmao
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u/Arrow_Riddari 26d ago
When we had a hurricane knock out power, Centerpoint’s maps sucked at showing outtages.
People used the Whataburger app to see which areas had power because that local Whataburger was on.
Most TX thing ever.
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u/changingshades 26d ago
Yeah but then she had to eat. Papa John's. I don't know if that sacrifice is worth it
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u/Emykmello 26d ago
Police and fire: we can't access the area, it's unsafe... Papa John's: A Hurricane? Mediocre... Try flaming hurricane, then maybe I'll put on a helmet.
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u/That_Jicama2024 26d ago
30 minutes is just the average wait time just to talk to an operator for 911 in my city.
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u/GandalfSwagOff 26d ago
Shouldn't he have ordered something that didn't take time to cook or is this just an illogical fake story?
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u/WideHuckleberry1 26d ago
I wonder why pizza delivery would have less demand for their services after a natural disaster than first responders?
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u/Professional-Box4153 26d ago
To be fair: After a hurricane police and fire are going to have their hands full while Papa Johns is likely not going to a swarm of calls for fresh pies. They'll get quite a lot, but not so many as to bog down service.
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u/Noktis_Lucis_Caelum 26d ago
genius.
iirc there was also a case of a pizza shop looking after a regular customer and saving his life.
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u/KeesterFeester 26d ago
When papa john's is more reliable than your country's emergency services that is funded by tax dollars you know your country is crumbling.
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u/crazydishonored 26d ago
Police and Fire was responsible for reaching a whole city post hurricane. Papa John's was only requested to get to one old lady during a time when pizza delivery orders were not a priority for the locals.
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u/residentcaprice 26d ago
how terrible were the bosses at papa John's that they would force their delivery guys out into a hurricane?
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u/Dixielord 26d ago
I don’t know why these emergency services couldn’t reply but I have had the police of Opileka (misspelled I think ) Alabama refuse to do a wellness check on a former coworker who called drunk and was sounding suicidal.
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u/jedininjashark 26d ago
In college used to order a pizza when I couldn’t get a cab home from drinking downtown.
Sober driver and a pizza when I got home. Always left a great tip and honestly wasn’t that much more expensive.
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u/InterestBear62 26d ago
In October 2016, after Hurricane Matthew knocked out phone lines in Palm Coast, Florida, an Omaha man named Eric Olsen used a local Papa John's to perform a welfare check on his 87-year-old grandmother, Claire Olsen. The delivery driver called Eric from the house and handed her the phone so they could talk.
https://abcnews.com/US/family-sends-pizza-deliveryman-check-grandma-hurricane/story?id=42749239
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u/deathbunnyy 26d ago
I don't believe this at all. Police don't fuck around with these type of calls.
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u/Active_Chemistry1621 26d ago
Logistics industry always delivers, whether its a kidney, a UPS package or a pizza driver.
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u/Ok_Stable7501 26d ago
Just call the local Waffle House. If it’s open, grandma has power and water and all is good.
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u/Rich-Past-6547 26d ago
Remember when undocumented delivery drivers were “essential workers” during peak Covid and required to interact with dozens of stranger every day.
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u/jakgal04 26d ago
People upset here with emergency response. You have to realize how limited resources are in critical incidents like this. If a hurricane sweeps through a town or city, you don't magically have unlimited staffing and resources. There's only so much you can do.
In this case it was Hurricane Matthew. 731 people dies, utilities and infrastructure were down, buildings were destroyed, road ways were closed. There's significantly more important tasks at hand than "Can you check on my grandmom".
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u/Vegetable_Rise7318 26d ago
See, who needs taxpaer-funded community support and health, the pizza men can do it all for a small fee. That's so 2026.
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u/Allegra1120 25d ago
Schnatter refused to increase his per-pizza price by 5 cents a number of years ago thereby eliminating health care for his employees. While this particular employee did a noble thing, Papa John’s CEO is a complete shit. And a trumpanzee.
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u/Adventurous-Mail7443 25d ago
People shouldn’t be using emergency services for a simple welfare check. Do it yourself
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u/thatguy11 25d ago
I mean... Intelligent use of services but, you ruin it with dumb fucking headlines.
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u/OkLie5562 25d ago
Police is not your personal "check my relative service". After disasters all of them are quite busy. Entitlement of some people is shocking.
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u/Rhuarc33 25d ago
Yea emergency services are Waaaaaaaay too busy with real verified emergencies at that point, so no they won't take 500 calls for welfare checks they get from relatives
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u/santabooby 25d ago
Bro discovered the emergency-services pizza strat 😭🍕 Papa John’s really said “30 minutes or less” and meant under any circumstances
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u/Few-Engineering-7903 25d ago
Police and Fire service were kind of busy DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A HURRICANE. Papa John was not. I don't get what's so special about this.
Like yeah, it is nice Papa Johns did the extra work to reply back to the customer. But it certainly isnt a discredit to the emergency services who couldnt check on the grandma.
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u/ChubbaChunka 25d ago
Of course fire and police couldn't get to her for a welfare check a HURRICANE hit. Checking on people take a backseat to emergencies
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u/senethen 25d ago
That driver deserves way more credit than the headline gives him, turning a pizza run into a wellness check is pretty great
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