Keith’s Chicken ‘n Waffles

Keith’s is a small shop serving, as suggested, fried chicken and waffles, located just off of 280 in Daly City. Not only do they serve the standard combos of chicken and waffles, but they also have specialty waffles, such as the Antonio Special, drizzled with cream cheese and chocolate, the Sweet Potato waffle, topped with candied yam, and the Red Velvet waffle, with the aforementioned cream cheese and chocolate drizzle. They also serve a variety of southern-inspired side dishes, including mac and cheese, collard greens, beans and rice, and cornbread. 

Their new chicken sandwich was very moist, but the spicy mayo overpowered the fried chicken and the other fixings. The red velvet waffle was also a bit stodgy, as it was made out of a cakey batter, rather than the light Belgian batter. However, the signature fried chicken and waffles were everything they should be: the fried chicken was moist inside and crispy outside, with a salty spice mixture embedded in the breading, and the Belgian waffles were light and fluffy, with just a hint of sweetness. Although the chicken by itself was a bit salty, the sweet maple syrup and waffles balanced it out. The candied sweet potatoes are also highly recommended: the cooked sweet potatoes are soaked in a sugary syrup, and combined with the chicken and waffle, tastes even better than the syrup. The mac and cheese was truly as bomb as the menu described, with soft noodles covered in melty cheese. 

According to PBS, fried chicken also originated from the south, when Southern cooks sent soldiers fried chicken, as the chicken was less prone to spoilage when fried. The combination with waffles didn’t arise until the 1930s, when, according to NPR, the dish was popularized by Well’s Supper Club, located in Harlem, where famous musicians such as Nat King Cole and Samy Davis Jr. frequently ate. 

The dish was also popularized in the West by Snoop Dogg, who frequented Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffle chain in Los Angeles. Owner Keith Richardson draws upon both traditions to bring the best chicken and waffles to the Bay Area. 

“Snoop Dogg introduced chicken n’ waffles to the forefront. I checked it out, and I liked the concept, so I set up shop where I’m from, in the Bay Area,” Richardson said.

Although he was inspired from the West Coast, Richardson returned to the South to develop the recipes for his signature dishes. 

“As far as recipes are concerned, I spent a lot of time in the South, in Georgia, Alabama, since that’s where the cuisine is from. Since I have family out there, I went to a lot of different restaurants around the area, acquiring a taste for the food. It took a couple of years, but then I came back and tried to duplicate it here. The recipes were formed by my family members and my own trial-and-error,” Richardson said. 

As a restaurant owner, Richardson often has to occupy multiple roles, especially if the staff is short-handed one day. 

“As an owner-operator, you spend at least 12 hours a day there: in the morning, we start cooking and opening up; then I manage operations until we close the shop. I’m a hands-on type of person, so if we’re shorthanded, I can do just about everything, from taking orders, to cooking food, to washing dishes; whatever the need is, I fill it in,” he said.