In 1938, the addictive late-night (or mid-afternoon) staple of chicken and waffles was born at the Wells Home of Chicken and Waffles, in Harlem.
Celebrity chef Carl S. Redding was trained in Harlem and that’s how he learned how to prepare it. But now Redding is alleging that IHOP (International House of Pancakes) stole the soul with its version of chicken and waffles.
Citing that Chicken and Waffles is a Harlem tradition, Redding says he will boycott IHOP because their version is “soul food without the soul. It’s nothing like the way we know it in our community.”
IHOP says it’s not trying to duplicate the Harlem-Los Angeles soul food tradition. “We did tests for how our customers would like it and the way we serve it is what they told us,” stated IHOP’s communications director Patrick Lenow.
The popular IHOP dish will be available nationwide for a limited time.
This is destined to be an epic battle, and any foodie worth his weight in grits and eggs knows that this isn’t the first time grown folks fought over chicken and waffles.
Perhaps the most famous spot for the sticky fare is Roscoe’s House of Chicken n’ Waffles, a must-stop for anyone visiting the fine city of Los Angeles. Going strong for more than three decades, Roscoe’s is the brunch spot where celebrities eat alongside the tourists and neighborhood regulars. And on any given day, the line of customers snakes around the building.
Owner Herb Hudson opened the restaurant, and three other outlets in Los Angeles.
Sometime during that expansion, Hudson met a developer, Darnell Johnson, who offered to open an East Coast Roscoe’s, but the deal never materialized. Johnson opened the restaurant anyway, and changed the name (by adding the extra “S”). In 1998, Rosscoe’s East opened in New York.
Oddly, Hudson didn’t sweat it.
But in 2006, Johnson closed shop and took the successful little venture to arguably, one of the foodie-havens, Chicago.
In 2008, Rosscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles brought the spicy sweet orgy of deep fried chicken, fluffy waffles, and seasoned eggs and grits to Chicago’s bustling neighborhood of Bronzeville.
Like the eatery in Los Angeles, Rosscoe’s line was also wrapped outside the door.
Soon enough, Los Angeles owner Hudson sued him for trademark infringement. One day after he filed the paperwork, Johnson changed the name to Chicago’s Rosscoe’s Home of Chicken and Waffles.
And today, all is well.
For now.
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