Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles to close its Pasadena location
After 30 years in business, the Pasadena location for the famous Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles restaurant chain will be closing its doors soon.
According to a sign posted at the restaurant’s location at 830 N. Lake Ave., the final day for the restaurant will be June 23. Two signs placed on the windows of the restaurant state that “Our last day at this location will be Sunday June 23, 2024. Pasadena, thank you for 30 wonderful years!”
But the sign still offers a bit of hope for Pasadena as it states there may be a possible new location in the city.
“We are searching for another upgraded Pasadena location. Stay tuned and follow us on Facebook and Instagram,” the sign states.
A “For Lease” stood near the corner of the restaurant. A call to the leasing agent was not returned, an email to the corporate office was not returned by press time while calls to the restaurant were sent to voicemail.
Paul Little, president and chief executive officer of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association, didn’t know the reason why the restaurant was closing and just recently saw the signs outside the eatery. But he’s hopeful that Roscoe’s will remain in the city.
“I would love to see them stay in Pasadena. Roscoe’s is a local institution. They have been open for a very long time,” he said. “I hope they can find another location in Pasadena that suits them,” he added.
The soul food chain was founded by Herb Hudson in 1975. Roscoe’s currently has seven locations, including Pasadena, in Los Angeles County and one in Anaheim. In 2023 the small chain closed a location at 5006 W. Pico Blvd.. and reopened at a larger spot a couple of blocks away at 1865 S. La Brea Ave.
Roscoe’s has previously faced financial difficulties.
In March 2016, East Coast Foods, the parent company that owns several Los Angeles area Roscoe’s restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the face of a settlement it owed to a former employee who claimed discrimination. The Chapter 11 filing came after a judge ordered East Coast Foods to pay roughly $3.2 million to Daniel Beasley of Compton.