L.A. restaurant cries fowl over Chicago eatery's name
Roscoe's there, Rosscoe's here pair chicken and waffles
By Kevin Pang
Tribune reporter
Published April 9 2008

Of culinary unions, few are met with more exhilaration and skepticism than the pairing of chicken and waffles. On the same plate.

The dish's folksy appeal has become a hipsters' reference point. Any Los Angeles native will say a visit to the city is not complete without a stop at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles.

So when Rosscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles opened March 15 in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, the name recognition brought droves to the restaurant. There's just one discrepancy: This Roscoe's is spelled Rosscoe's.

That extra "s" prompted Roscoe's in Los Angeles to file a federal lawsuit in Chicago on Tuesday against Rosscoe's in Chicago, alleging trademark infringement. A hearing for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Beyond the name, there are other similarities:

•Both restaurants' logos feature a cartoon chicken standing in front of a waffle.

•Both include a drink called the "Sun Rise"—orange juice and lemonade. Both have drinks called "Sunset."

•Both feature like-sounding menu items. At Roscoe's: Carol C. Special, Natalie's Special, The Stubby. At Rosscoe's: Carol's Treat, Ed Hale Special, The Saint.

Said Herb Hudson, owner and founder of Roscoe's in Los Angeles: "We'll be suing them to the hilt."

"He's got to do what he's got to do," said Darnell Johnson, owner of Chicago's Rosscoe's. "In a court of law, in a civil case, we feel we can win 9 out of 12 jurors. If they get the whole story."

As origins go, there isn't one holy fryer that emerged from the grease. In "Fried Chicken: An American Story," food writer John T. Edge said the combination of chicken and waffles has always been part of the African-American zeitgeist.

The dish was served at Wells Supper Club in Harlem, which popularized it in urban America. The club used the slogan "Wells: Home of Chicken and Waffles since 1938." But it wasn't until Herb Hudson established the Los Angeles Roscoe's that chicken and waffles on a single plate crossed the threshold from curiosity to chic.

Hudson, a former General Motors foreman, moved to Hollywood some 30 years ago and opened up the first Roscoe's on Sunset Boulevard. The restaurant's success spawned four more outlets in the Los Angeles area.

Enter Johnson. The real estate developer proposed to open a New York outlet of Roscoe's. Johnson said he offered Hudson 50 percent of the business. The deal never came together, so he ventured out, adding an "s" to the name and opening Rosscoe's East in Brooklyn.

Johnson's restaurant launched in February 1998 and stayed open for eight years. But why did Hudson allow Johnson to use such a similar-sounding name? Hudson said he had no plans then to enter the New York market. And he didn't consider Johnson to be a threat.

"I knew he couldn't do it. He'd flop there," Hudson said.

In Chicago the concept of fried chicken and buttered waffles has had a troubled history. South Side culinary expert Peter Engler noted the casualties of three such short-lived restaurants in recent years: Antwon's Chicken and Waffles, Eat 'em Up Chicken & Waffles and Floyd's Wangs and Thangs.

That didn't dissuade Johnson, who closed Rosscoe's East in 2006 and set his sights on Chicago. But when Hudson found out Johnson was planning to open shop in Chicago, Hudson opposed it because he was planning to bring Roscoe's from Los Angeles to Chicago himself.

"I said, 'Hell, no,' " Hudson said. "You're going to mess my name up over there." Hudson said he hopes to bring Roscoe's to Chicago in 2009.

When Chicago's Rosscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles opened, about 800 people showed up at Johnson's 80-seat restaurant, he estimated. Many waited two hours or more for a table. Overwhelmed, Johnson ordered the restaurant shut down at 6 p.m., five hours early.

Regarding the lawsuit, Johnson said he doesn't even mind changing the name.

"I would go to Chicago's House of Chicken and Waffles. I have no problem with that. I like that name better!"

So why not change the name now?

"Do you know how much money it costs to change? You see all those signs?"

similar thing happening with patsy's in the theatre district (went by there the other night on the way to some debauchery on the west side) and the one in east harlem which licensed it's name out to franchises out in icky long island (one in my old neighborhood - for the record it sucked. Big tiddy waitresses tho).

The Roscoe's in LA is the Quadruple Truth!!!!!!......Ruth...

But the one in Brooklyn on Church Ave is beyond horrible



I'm defending something in LA???

This dude is a total ass. I hope the real Roscoe wins this suit.

Maybe I should open up my very own IHOOP.

The one in Brooklyn is closed right? Either way I've gone up to the Chicago spot twice...the wait is too long for me. I'm all for Chicken and Waffles but they should change the name. My phone was off the hook for weeks before the spot opened talking about...yeah we have a Roscoe's in Chicago...no my friend you have a Rosscoe's. Similar items but not the same menu. Had me all ready for a Sunset (fruit punch and OJ)

Dude tried to be slick and add another "s" to the name... He know he wrong....

For a while now i've been thinking about opening a McDowells on Queens Blvd

Hey guys i feel a little left out...I never been to a Roscoe's

You been to LA and never to Roscoe's???

That's almost sacreligious Fab

Me either

Never been to LA...

chicken is bad , eat a salad

Jellz did 10 minutes on the Stairmaster and now he's

I find it my duty to follow the developments in the whole chicken and waffles game... as an avid consumer of such fare.

I was in ATL last month and made the mistake of going to Gladys Knight and Ron Winans's (that apostrophe s is correct, BTW)... wow... what a grand waste of an appetite. The chicken and waffles were "aight" but not like Wells, Roscoes.... or Amy Ruth's.

I'm thinking Roscoe will win in court... and he should sue for costs.

They're going to sue for everything they can

Defamation

Mental anguish

Lawyers fees

Loss of income

They're going to have a field day with this one.

Gladys's waffles suck. The chicken is ok but the waffles...YUCK!

Surprised they still in business since there are so many Waffle Houses in the area

Let Chick-Fil-A start adding waffles to their menu, i'm moving to Philly

What baffles me is the no one through this whole process of opening up the business thought there would be no retaliation from Roscoe's

IMAGINE???

OMG that would be insane!

im just sayin were not young no more

Oooohh, a Lisa's Delight (lemonade and ice tea - also an Arnold Palmer but black folk aways changing ish up) .

It's bad when you go to a restaurant so often that you order the # instead of giving the actual food.

Me: A #9 with a side of cheese grits and lisa's delight!!! That's why my ass stay running !

I order the exact same thing. Period! That's an LA staple.

I went to the Roscoe\'s in BK in 1999 right after returning from my first trip to LA. It was horrible. Never been back. I figured it would go out of business.

Yoooooo
I went to Roscos in LA and ordered 1 of everything..my goal was to make sure that it was as good as they said it was..Mind u..I picked at some of everything...my sister was looking at me like "What a nigger..."

Hahahahahaha

hahahahahahah


i am more than sure I wouldn't go into the one in BK

The one in Brooklyn is/was Terrible.. I think it is closed...But he was stupid for opening it on Church Ave...That shit is in WEST INDIAN LAND!!.. West Indians don't eat no damn chicken and waffles...Surprised his ass ain't get burned down so the could make space for a Golden Crust.


Trevor: So you wan git someting to nyam.
Patrice: Yea mon, let we go to dat place up the road so..Roscoe Chicken and Waffles me wan try dat..

Trevor: What kind of foolishness ya chat bout..
Patrice: Nah Sir, me hear the food in there real good..

Trevor: So you wan fi tell mi, mi Trevor Barrington gone eat some rassclot chicken and waffles, man you betta gwan tek way yaself!
Patrice: Aiight..Wha wrong wit dat food dey?..

Trevor: Patrice..dat dey ain't real bloodclot food..Back home you does neva hear of nobody eating no chicken with no rassclot waffle..blow hole..dem damn yankee woman make you eat nuff bullshit...you neva raised pon dat food dey!
Patrice: You crazy man dey foood nice

Trevor: Patrice..look here let me naw box you..I hungry and don't have no time for this foolish talk..I gwan get me a nice Cow foot soup..With some Oxtail, rice and peas, vegetable and a sorrel drink..You gway and eat dem yankee food.
Patrice: Wait a minute you say Cow Foot soup?..Bloodcleet a long time mi na eat a nice Cow foot soup..Let we go to Auntie Pat's store on Utica...My need a nice Peanut Punch and a Stout cuz me gone see a nice likkle ting later on seen..

My man LL always coming with the real!

When they closed down Wells, I dayumed near caught a tear. They had the sign up in the window that they were only closed for a month for renovations. Then when that one month became two, me and my wife were outside that spot like this


Then we switched to Amy Ruth which was right down the street. We kinda knew that we were ordering a little too much when this dude on 116th Street spoke to us. He was like, "Hey! Whassup y'all? It's me the delivery guy! ". We were like . LMAO

SON YOU JUST SAID SOMETHING REAL SERIOUS HERE. I WOULD BE A FIEND IN THAT PARKING LOT.

Heading there(Philly) this weekend

Take a guess where I will be eating at

It won't be long. Mrs. Weiner's just started selling it.

that is a Jamaican dialect so I think u mean COW COCK SOUP ?uest chat bout?

chic-fil-a i must go to every time i'm in the south. at least one time.

i tried to go to the bronzeville rosscoes (didn't know there was a name difference) on sunday. i knew it was the same dude from the brooklyn location. i still wanna try it, folks in the office have been talking good stuff

however, i have tried the real one in la. HEAVEN. took mommy and everything, and she was loving it as well.

So, you mean to tell me that Gladys Night’s Chicken in Waffles is okay? What’s the difference? Windows OS is nothing more than Mac OS. Good artists copy. Great artist steal. -Pablo Picasso

I found Gladys Knight's spot aiight, as in not bad at all. But it wasn't anything to write home about or feen for or anything.

Never been to Roscoes but Wells was on another level.

Wells had a brother like

i hate waffles (i'm a flapjack chick), but will fuck some gladys chicken wings up....its been a minute, but i vaguely recall fucking up some mac & cheese too...i had roscoe's wings when i was in l.a. back in feb...de-li-cious

i'd drop both of them for a chick-fil-a though...no one down south comprehends that i live in a city that doesn't have one..they all act like they heard me incorrectly lol

I agree. I've been once and never went back. I'd rather go to Spondivits by Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Never been out West so I know nothing about Roscoes or Wells. I'll get there one day.

I'm convinced them mofos sprinkle a lil bit of crack on their waffle fries, breast nuggets and in the lemonade!!! That shit makes no sense!!!

I smile like a big ass kid when I'm eating Chick-fil-a - each dip in the bbq sauce i'm like ....lol

Wells was in Harlem, but it's gone now. The owner died and his wife didn't know how to keep it going.

But to my West Coast family it's very important to note that the dude who started Roscoe's got his mojo from Wells in Harlem. Please don't get it twisted. Much love.

From Wikipedia:

Wells Supper Club

A restaurant named the Wells Supper Club in Harlem (1938-1999) used the slogan "Wells: Home of Chicken and Waffles, Since 1938".[4] A commonly quoted story is that the Wells Supper Club started selling the chicken and waffles dish to late-night patrons of their club in 1938; as it was too late for dinner, and too early for breakfast, Wells served both dishes on the one plate.[5][6]

i haven't read this whole thread, so maybe i missed something, btu what does spondivits have to do with chicken and waffle spots? or soul food spots? is it supposed to be soul food? how can you compare the two?

Well, maybe you should read the whole thread. People have been talkin' about Chick-fil-a and it's not "Soul Food" either. If you don't/didn't know what Spondivits is/was, why didn't you ask (or Google it)? I wasn't comparing anything? I made a statement. I've never been to Roscoe's out West. I've been to Gladys Knight's (ATL) and it was alright. I'd rather go to Spondivits. Is it unacceptable for me to want to eat something other than "Soul Food." BTW, What's with the inquisition?

i've been to spondivits. chick-fil-a is at least chicken... spondivits is seafood and steak.

my question wasn't about you eating soul food. based on the title of the thread, i thought people were comparing chicken & waffles (or waffle fries in the case of chickafilla) spots.

i don't have time to read the whole thing. i don't even have time to be responding to be honest...

i was reading backwards and u just happened to be in the line of fire sorry.

Crabs in a barrell once again, rediculous.

I think i liked this story better when it had Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in it

word up, frogs... rep that.

for the NY'rs... do y'all not know that there's a Chick-Fil-A in NJ on route 17 in the Paramus... mere minutes from the GW Bridge?

Get up on it if you ain't on it already.

thought i was the only one who hated waffles...been in the south for 7 years and have never went 2 the waffle house dont see the appeal..just give me good ol ihop..pancake, eggs and bacon...since we're just throwing spots out there, my all time fav breakfast spot was defonte's in red hook..every weekend occasion! wonder if it's still around? they had the best potato, egg and honey glazed turkey heros. mmmmm..

Paramus what??? Paramus Mall???

LL, don't have me go out there and get lost and get robbed in Paterson aka Little Kuwait

Give up the address brotha man

Gladys and Ron's is alright. Not as good as it used to be, at least the downtown location. I've been to the one in Stonecrest (?) also, it wasn't anything to write home about. I didn't like having to piece together my meal.

I just don't get the Chik-fil-a appeal. Love the waffle fries, but beyond that . . . Maybe I just had my fill of it in undergrad. I had a friend that worked at the chik fil a on campus. He used to bring me bags of stuff whenever he worked til close. My roommate looooved the guy. Whenever dude came through, chicks on my floor would come to my room to get nuggets and sandwiches. Matter of fact, I'm not sure how they even knew he was there, cause I never brought him up. It was like them hoes were on look-out or some shit. They were pissed when I finally told dude I wasn't interested. Roommate was all , talking bout "you had to go and mess up OUR good thing."

So you're boy was bartering ass for waffle fries and lemonade???

Ingenious

Tried to, but it wasn't happening. Takes much more than that. Besides, I was checking for somebody else.

In college??? Come on now.