Oakland, California, entrepreneur Derreck B. Johnson is the founder and president of the acclaimed Home of Chicken and Waffles. A family business, Johnson rebranded the Oakland soul food hot spot in May 2004, which was once a franchise of Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. With a location in Jack London Square, Home of Chicken and Waffles was a major player in the redevelopment and revival of downtown Oakland.
As soon as you sit down and take a glance at the menu, prepare yourself for an informal introduction to Johnson’s family members. Every food item is named after a family member including his Mom and his MiMi listed as Dale’s Choice (chicken strips and waffles) and MiMi’s Potluck. You’ll even find Derreck’s Deal to be appetizing.
An Oakland native, Johnson wanted to give back to his community by providing great food and job opportunities.
“The business has been in the family for some time and when we moved to our current location is when I got involved. In 2004, I took over full control of the operation,” Johnson shares.
“I had never worked in the restaurant industry and didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. The first two years, I basically lived there to get to know the lay of the land.”
Home of Chicken and Waffles prepares soul food healthfully.
“All of our food is fresh. We have fresh yams, greens and beans. We don’t use pork or meat in the preparation of any of our sides. We serve buckwheat waffles, salad and grilled chicken. There are many options in the restaurant other than fried foods,” he explains.
“Back in the day, before we became so health conscious, in the 60s, we didn’t have these diseases that we have now. It’s what we do these days that are different; we overdo, overprocess and microwave food.”
Nestled in a diverse, urban part of the city and the most high end retail district of the Bay Area, Home of Chicken and Waffles is often a a challenge item on corporate scavenger hunts.
“Our mural on the wall is very famous in San Francisco and Oakland; we’re usually on the hunt,” he reveals.
Touted as a very warm, homey and soulful dining experience, Home of Chicken and Waffles is a mini Soul Town, an offshoot of Motown. “We play ’60s and ’70s music, universal R&B music for every age group and we stay open late on the weekends.”
How is Home of Chicken and Waffles giving back to the community?
“We hire felons and work with the city of Oakland by helping to keep the recidivism rate low. We do special toy drives, and are very connected to community by hosting food drives with local churches, including Center of Hope Community Church.”
Home of Chicken and Waffles has two locations and they’re working on two more. “It’s a family corporation and is owned by us. While we don’t offer franchise opportunities, the key to growth is to make the operation duplicative, maintain consistency in product and consistency in operation,” Johnson says.
Home of Chicken and Waffles is located at 444 Embarcadero W (at Broadway/Jack London Square), Oakland, California, and 1653 Mt. Diablo Blvd,, Walnut Creek, California.
