Google Maps Screenshot of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.
A trusted Long Beach landmark officially took a hit last week.
The parent company of one of Long Beach and the greater Los Angeles region’s most well-known chicken and waffle joints—Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles—declared bankruptcy last Friday, according to reports from numerous outlets, including the Los Angeles Times.
According to the Times, the parent company, East Coast Foods Inc. filed for bankruptcy with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of California, estimating it has incurred debts between $10 million and $50 million. The company’s assets total less than $50,000.
Roscoe’s first opened in 1975 in Long Beach, California, according to the website. It grew in popularity over the years, attracting the likes of Natalie Cole, Redd Foxx, Snoop Dogg and even President Obama—at one of its Los Angeles locations.
Court documents list former employee Daniel Beasley as one of its largest creditors, after he won a racial discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit against the chain. The bankruptcy filing has arrived just a few months after the court verdict determining the company owed Beasley $3.2 million.
Beasley alleged that the company gave Latino employees better work schedules than its black employees, and that he was fired as a result of pushing for different scheduling practices. After losing his job, he became homeless, numerous media outlets reported.
“Our subsidiary East Coast Foods has filed for Chapter 11 in hopes to reorganize,” said Roscoe’s spokeswoman Diane Vara. “[It] will not affect our business.”
This story was updated on March 30 at 9:45AM with a statement from a Roscoe’s representative.