Soul Food Chef Plans Direct Action Protest Against IHOP's Chicken & Waffles

Chef Carl Redding, who made a name for himself in Harlem with his soul food restaurant Amy Ruth’s, is so disgusted that the International House of Pancakes is serving Chicken and Waffles that he's planning a protest outside an IHOP in New Jersey. One unforeseen side-effect of Redding's activism? Free publicity! Today the Daily News profiles Redding and his IHOPposition—he calls the chain's Chicken and Waffles dish "soul food without the soul. It's nothing like the way we know it in our community. If you're going to appropriate a dish we treasure, at least get it right." Daaamn, the International House of PAIN is in effect!

Redding now runs the Atlantic City restaurant Redding's, which also serves Chicken and Waffles. But he tells the News his version offers fried, grilled or smothered chicken, with both white and dark meat. And he says his Belgian waffle makes IHOP's taste like cardboard: "Theirs is like a brick. It should be light and fluffy." In an attempt to liberate benighted diners from the abomination of IHOP's foul bastardization, Redding intends to hand out free samples of his Chicken and Waffles outside the IHOP in Mays Landing.

An IHOP spokesman tells the News, "I would respectfully suggest we have chefs and owners who prepare and serve it with love. And with soul." And with calories! IHOPs Chicken and Waffle combo, which is only available for a limited time, clocks in at 1,100 cal, with a total fat count of 65g. It's unclear how many calories are in Redding's version, so we can all safely assume its very light and diet-friendly.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Food on April 14, 2011 12:05 PM

Comments [rss]

ed_Extinct

In other news, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture is suing McDonalds for labeling its syrup as Maple. It's not, it's syrup with maple flavoring— http://tinyurl.com/68dah8z

ANGRYGOD11

Let's face it: Most chains can barely get toast right most of the time, but people just don't care.

breuckelen

Anyone remember Wells Chicken and Waffles in Harlem? His was the dish that was the best.

www.okmaam.com

I'm a southerner and my moma never gave me chicken and waffles.....

ANGRYGOD11

Because you were a bad kid or yo momma was a lazy bitch?
Snap!

ishtar_79

First off, Carl, learn how to cook some damn grits before you start going in on IHOP about chicken and waffles, which your's aren't even all that great anyway, especially when compared to Roscoe's.

robingee

Who cares, Carl? If it's not good then people won't go. If a bunch of white people go, then they wouldn't come to your place anyway. Big whup.

randomtransplant

This dude should come up to Brooklyn and protest that lame 'soul food' joint on Fulton which doesn't serve biscut's & gravy.

Or he should go to JC and protest IHOP's racist double standard for when closing time is.

ishtar_79

You do know that soul food varies across the south and that not all southerners eat biscuts and gravy, right?

randomtransplant

hey asshole, direct that at the FUCKING ARTICLE WHICH IS TALKING ABOUT BISCUT AND GRAVEY SERVING SOUL FOOD.

The server didn't know what biscuts and gravey was, and the place wasn't really 'southern' in the first place. Dick.

Dan

Awesome. Great story. He thanks you for the publicity.

gertah

I'd enjoy seeing real Italian chefs (or even just real Italian-American home cooks, for that matter... ok- even anyone who has ever been to Italy and eaten real Italian food) protesting outside the entrance to every Olive Garden in the country. I'm not sure what that would actually accomplish, though.