Evanston’s Chicago Home of Chicken & Waffles to Host Ribbon Cutting Thursday

Chicago Home of Chicken & Waffles will be hosting a jazz reception and ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the restaurant’s new Evanston location on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. 

The soul food eatery held a soft opening in January and the reception from Evanstonians has been “excellent,” says manager Darnell Johnson.  

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, Alderman Peter Braithwaite, State Rep. Ken Duncan (5th District), U.S. Congressman Danny Davis (7th CD), Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun and McDonald's CEO and President Don Thompson are among the guests who will be attending the ribbon cutting at 2424 Dempster St. 

Johnson and his wife operate two other Chicken & Waffles restaurants in Bronzeville and Oak Park. At 5,000 square feet and with a capacity of 150 people, however, the Evanston location is the largest and the first with a bar. 

In addition to the signature dish of chicken and waffles, the restaurant also offers southern fried catfish and grits, omelets, grilled salmon, lemon pepper grilled catfish, peach cobbler and sweet potato pie.

The City of Evanston and Evanston’s First Bank and Trust partnered to provide a loan of $402,500 to acquire the property and build out the restaurant. First Bank provided $202,500 for property acquisition and the city provided $200,000 for the construction, according to a press release. 

The restaurant has hired approximately 60 employees, most of whom are Evanston residents. The city’s sources of funds are $75,000 from a Community Development Block Grant and $125,000 from the Economic Development Fund. 

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