Founder Herb Hudson Type of business Private | Number of locations 7 | |
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Industry Casual dining restaurant Area served Los Angeles metropolitan area Website roscoeschickenandwaffles.com Founded 1975, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States Profiles | ||
The bear vs roscoe s house of chicken and waffles
Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is a Los Angeles-based soul food restaurant chain founded by Herb Hudson, a Harlem native, in 1975. It is best known, as the name states, for serving chicken and waffles, both together and separately, although they do offer more traditional menu items as well.
Contents
- The bear vs roscoe s house of chicken and waffles
- Roscoe s house of chicken and waffles caught me by surprise
- Trademark infringements
- In popular culture
- Locations
- References
Soon after it was opened, Hudson had friends in Motown and television such as Natalie Cole spread the word to other celebrities; Redd Foxx would tell his audience that he went there. The Los Angeles Times refers to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution that people don't even question the strange combo anymore." The New York Times refers to it as a "beloved soul food chain." The original location in Hollywood remains popular with celebrities.
Roscoe s house of chicken and waffles caught me by surprise
Trademark infringements
In 2008, Roscoe's fielded a successful trademark infringement lawsuit against a "Rosscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles" that had opened in Chicago. The infringing store was forced to drop its infringing logo and name. A previous "Rosscoe's" had opened in New York City, 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.
In popular culture
The chain has been featured in popular media a number of times. The 1988 movie Tapeheads features a fake ad spot for the company. It was also mentioned in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the comedy film Rush Hour and Swingers. Ludacris 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", while Californian band The Aquabats also mentioned Roscoe's alongside several other chicken restaurants in their 1997 song "Magic Chicken!". Snoop Dogg considers the restaurant one of his favorites: on his reality show, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, he took David Beckham in 2007, and in 2008 he took Larry King on Larry King Live. The Notorious B.I.G. mentions Roscoe's in his song "Going Back to Cali", as does rapper Lil' Boosie in his song "California Love." The chain was also mentioned on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and in the 2007 novel Casanegra. Childish Gambino also mentions Roscoe's in several songs. In the show Workaholics one of the characters mentions Roscoe's.
Roscoe's is alluded to repeatedly in the 2009 blaxploitation parody Black Dynamite, which features a gunfight set at a "Roscoe's Chili and Donuts". Roscoe, the owner, mentions that the business is not going well. A later scene has Roscoe screaming "That's it!" and running out of a diner when an overworked waitress complains that they have only waffles and chicken.