Customers step in to help at Waffle House amid staff shortage

A branch of the all-day diner had been forced to close for an hour when a group of students stepped in

More than two million people have watched footage of the students clean a North Carolina Waffle House (@ashleyweinsteinart/TikTok)

A group of North Carolina students were hailed on TikTok after a video of them cleaning-up a short-staffed Waffle House went viral.

Footage from Waffle House in Boone, North Carolina, showed the students cleaning dishes and wiping down surfaces late on Friday.

The all-day diner had been forced to shut for an hour because it was short-staffed and without a cook.

The students — who were sitting at the last table in the restaurant — cleaned-up the Waffle House by tidying chairs and tables, and wiping down surfaces.

Waffle House waitress Ashley Weinsteinart shared footage of the students on TikTok, and wrote in a caption that she found the students cleaning up.

“When we’re short-staffed and have to close down the Waffle House for an hour and the last table decides to help bussing and cleaning” wrote Ms Weinsteinart.

She tagged the song “Survivor” by Reba McEntrie to the TikTok, which features lyrics about a single mum working two jobs.

The TikTok has had more than two million views and thousands of likes and comments — including from one TikToker who wrote that it was more of a “Waffle Home” than a “Waffle House”.

Many repeated that sentiment and said the students, who are reportedly from North Carolina’s Appalachian State University, were “raised right”.

“This is genuinely such a nice thing to do for service industry workers,” another TikToker wrote. “Thank you for being awesome”.

The Independent has reached out to Waffle House for comment.