Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles is an American

soul food Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. Originating in the Southern United States, American South from the cuisines of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Africans transported from Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, sou ...

restaurant chain that operates seven locations in the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

. It was founded by Herb Hudson in 1975. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' has referred to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution that people don't even question the strange combo anymore".Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles
''Los Angeles Times'', Accessed September 22, 2009. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' refers to it as a "beloved soul food chain." Jennifer Steinhauer
36 Hours in Hollywood
, ''The New York Times'', January 13, 2008, Accessed September 22, 2009. The original location in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, remains open. On March 29, 2016, Roscoe's filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

Trademark infringements

In 2008, Roscoe's filed a successful

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

infringement lawsuit against a "Rosscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles" that had opened in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The infringing store was forced to drop its infringing logo and name.Geoffrey Bennett
Roscoe's Wins Chicken and Waffle War
, NPR.com, April 10, 2008, Accessed September 22, 2009.First Look: Chicago's Rosscoe's
, Metromix, April 2, 2008, Accessed September 22, 2009. A previous "Rosscoe's" had opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but the LA-based chain opted to not sue that location because it had no plans to enter the New York market; however, Roscoe's did plan to enter the Chicago market.Charles Perry
Chicken and waffle feud
, ''Los Angeles Times'', April 9, 2008, Accessed September 22, 2009.

In popular culture

The chain has been featured several times in popular media. The 1988 movie '' Tapeheads'' features a fake ad spot for the company.Patrick Naugle
Tapeheads
, DVD Verdict, April 10, 2001, Accessed September 22, 2009. It was also mentioned in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's '' Jackie Brown'', the comedy film ''

Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...

'' and '' Swingers''.Roger Ebert
Rush Hour
, RogerEbert.com, September 18, 1998, Accessed September 22, 2009. In the 2005 film, '' Be Cool'', Roscoe's is referenced in a conversation between Vince Vaughn's character and that of

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

. The restaurant is also in season 1 episode 5 of Netflix's '' #blackAF''.

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

mentioned the restaurant in the song "Call Up The Homies" from the album '' Theater of the Mind'' with the lyrics "Let's roll to Roscoe's and grab somethin' to eat",Music and Lyrics to the song Call Up The Homies
, Rhapsody.com, Accessed September 22, 2009. while Californian band

The Aquabats The Aquabats are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer Christian Jacobs, the MC Bat Commander and bassist Chad Larson, Crash McLarson have ...

also mentioned Roscoe's alongside several other chicken restaurants in their 1997 song "Magic Chicken!". The restaurant is mentioned by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

in an episode of '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', in which he states that he believes heaven is a combination of a Roscoe's restaurant and

Sir Mix-a-Lot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot or his CB handle Prime Minista, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 1992 hit song " Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

music video.

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

considers the restaurant one of his favorites: on his reality show, '' Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'', he took

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

in 2007, and in 2008 he took

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

on ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

''.Angela Watercutter
Snoop Dogg Takes Larry King to Roscoe's
, wired.com, February 1, 2008, Accessed September 22, 2009." The Adult Swim animated series ''Black Dynamite'' had a running gag in which "Roscoe" ( Jimmie Walker Jr.) has not yet hit on the winning combination of fried chicken and waffles. Instead, he combines it with services like "Chicken and Car Stereo Installation" or "Chicken and Income Tax Preparation". In the movie '' Black Dynamite'', which has a different timeline than the series, Roscoe operates a failing restaurant called "Roscoe's Chili and Donuts". Cream Corn ( Tommy Davidson) tries to order sausage and waffles in a restaurant. When told by the waitress that he can only have a waffle and "the chicken from last night" incredulously shouts "Chicken and waffles?" at which point, in the background, Roscoe finally figures out the winning combination, exclaiming "That's it!".

Notable events

In 2011, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

visited Roscoe's while on the campaign trail in Los Angeles. On September 12, 2022, rapper PnB Rock was shot and killed at a Roscoe's in Los Angeles during a robbery.PnB Rock Shot and Killed While Being Robbed in Los Angeles Restaurant
''Complex'', ZACH DIONNE, September 12, 2022

References

External links

* {{Waffles Restaurants established in 1975 Fast-food chains of the United States Poultry restaurants Restaurants in Los Angeles Landmarks in Los Angeles Culture of Los Angeles Regional restaurant chains in the United States Soul food restaurants in the United States Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016 1975 establishments in California

Trademark infringements

In popular culture

Notable events

See also

References

External links