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Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles Ordered to Pay Over $1 Million in Racial Discrimination Suit

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Brought on by a former black employee.

Roscoe's on Pico
Roscoe's on Pico
Yelp
Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Bad news out of the Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles brand today, as the iconic Los Angeles restaurant empire loses a racial discrimination lawsuit that should set them back more than $1 million.

The suit was first brought by former employee Daniel Beasley, says CBS Los Angeles, who worked for a time at the Pico Boulevard location of Roscoe’s. While there, Beasley, a black man, says he was the recipient of various forms of racial discrimination at the hands of all-Hispanic management. Those claims include unfair treatment in the workplace, issues with shift scheduling, and — after Beasley complained to HR and Roscoe’s ownership — retaliation that ultimately ended with him being fired.

A Southern California jury has sided with Beasley, awarding the man roughly $1.6 million in personal damages. Of course, Roscoe’s has the opportunity to appeal, but it doesn’t look good for the bird-and-waffle brand, which has become something of a soul food icon over the decades. Roscoe’s hasn’t replied to various requests for comment, and they likely won’t — the family-owned brand is notoriously tight-lipped, even when things are going well.

Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles

5006 West Pico Boulevard, , CA 90019 (323) 934-4405 Visit Website