The Roscoe’s Chicken Empire Is Crumbling Due To Debt, Racism & Copyright Lawsuits
Everyone knows Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles is the legendary spot for southern comfort food in So Cal., but that could change now that East Coast Foods Inc., the parent company of the popular soul-food eatery, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
This move will only begin to assist Roscoe’s in bailing itself out of debt stemming from a list of crushing lawsuits and other financial fuckery, like, $16 million in unreported taxes the company is facing. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in California estimated the company could owe creditors anywhere between $10 million to $50 million. However, the company’s assets total less than $100,000, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Legal troubles have plagued the famous Southern California chain for a couple years now, most recently when the company lost a workplace discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former employee, Daniel Beasley.
Beasley, who is African-American, sued Roscoe’s in 2015 for what he told KTLA was, “preferential treatment to Latino employees,” by an all-Latino staff. Beasley was awarded $1.6 million.
The problems didn’t end there, in 2011, Roscoe’s was sued for copyright infringement by the Music Publisher’s Association of The United States. Apparently, The Roscoe’s LBC location has a side lounge where live musicians perform, however, a license is required to play specific copyrighted songs. Roscoe’s failed to pay any licensing fees. The court awarded the plaintiff, Range Road Music Inc., more than $160,000.
Could Roscoe’s be on the verge of losing everything? The restaurant’s constantly packed locations will help distract patrons from the company’s growing internal dilemmas.
One thing is for sure, chicken and waffles are delicious, but Chapter 11 could devour Roscoe’s quicker than you can finish a Carol C. special.
