How did Gladys Knight and Ron Winanss Chicken and Waffles get started?
I opened my first Atlanta restaurant at [age] 19 in 1998 with a loan from my dad. We were doing so well that I opened a second restaurant in 1999, also in Atlanta. It is a family affair. I approached my mom, Ron [Winans] and my partner and executive chef Reginald Washington with the idea some years back, and they were like, “Let’s do it.” I grew up with Ron. My dad managed the [gospel singing group] the Winans for many years, and we would all hang out on the road. I love to cook. My mom would cook for us all the time. So when we started the restaurant, we had to get her approval on a lot of things. On opening day of the first restaurant in Atlanta, she was in the kitchen with us cooking smothered chicken. . . . It really is something we’ve done together. My mom and Ron are both really hands-on. They call me to see how things are going. What is the restaurant concept? The chicken and waffle concept is old. It began in the ’30s in New York, specifically in Wells Restaurant in Harlem. It
