By Sara Hayden
Keith’s Chicken-n-Waffles are picking up speed. In January 2022, founder and owner Keith Richardson plans to expand beyond Daly City and open new breakfast and lunch locations in Half Moon Bay and South San Francisco.
“We have lots of little things to do, but we’re really excited – and hopefully the community is happy to have us,” says Richardson.
For five years, Richardson’s team has been roasting chicken combinations with crispy, peppery wings, legs, and breast and thigh meat, accompanied by french fries, cornbread, mac and cheese, red beans and rice, candied yams, tender, hearty kale and kool help.
Airy, soft and light, one of the restaurant’s Belgian waffles is an event in itself. Options include the Antonio Special Waffle, served with cream cheese and chocolate drizzle, and the Sweet Potato Signature Waffle, served with candied yam. The flavors of the Red Velvet Signature Waffle in a zig and zag style between rich chocolate and the sweet touch of cream cheese.
To develop these recipes for his Daly City restaurant, Richardson traveled the US, testing and researching to find the best chicken and waffles – but the Half Moon Bay and South San Francisco locations will spawn new dishes.
“It’ll be very different,” says Richardson. “It’s going to be a country-style breakfast with biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs.” There will also be kid-friendly options, including chicken tenders and small burgers.
Richardson took inspiration from his family’s recipes and culinary traditions from several southern states, including Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana.
“My family loves to cook. They are great cooks and I felt like I could represent them by trying it for myself, ”says Richardson. “Basically all of the southern states I have a connection with. We just got all of these flavors worked together and brought them to the west coast.”
Over the years, Richardson has taught himself his cooking skills.
“I’ve worked for local government my entire life, always had a government job, and I’ve always been interested in the food industry,” he says.
To open his first restaurant, Richardson sought out renowned restaurants in the United States and researched with potential customers.
“I gathered this data, I just put it together and basically,” says Richardson. “No cooking school, just cook at home and practice and trial and error.”
Richardson practiced in the kitchen trying to figure out which ingredients go well together and just the right amounts for each. Relationships are key, he says.
“There is no special recipe. To be honest, it’s easy … If you are using salt and pepper, you need to use the right amount of salt and pepper. Sometimes we measure, sometimes we just know, ”says Richardson. “Put a little bit of it in, and if it doesn’t taste like anything, add a little more. If it is too strong, add a little less. “
The Internet helps with this. “Do some research to get you started with the basics,” says Richardson.
Early in his career as a restaurateur, Richardson first planned to open a grill restaurant and then turned to his chicken and waffle concept. As Keith’s Chicken-n-Waffles expands, one of the team’s goals is to share food with people who have never experienced it before.
“We’re just trying to improve people’s taste buds,” says Richardson. “It’s like a trigger for the palate. (People) taste their food and it’s like, ‘This is very different from what we’re used to.'”
Follow Keith’s Chicken-N-Waffles on Instagram.
Keith’s Chicken-N-Waffles // 270 San Pedro Road, Daly City; 415-347-7208
Find out about food news. Follow that Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and Subscribe to the newsletter to get a glimpse of the latest openings and closings, find out what the foodist is interested in eating, read exclusive interviews, and keep up to date with the trends in local restaurants.
In order to encourage a respectful and thoughtful discussion, commenting on stories is allowed for registered users. If you are already a registered user and the comment form is not below,
you have to log in. If you are not registered you can
here.
Please make sure your comments are truthful, topic-related, and don’t disregard other posters. Don’t be snappy or disparaging. All contributions are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and can be deleted if our employees consider it inappropriate.
See our announcement on mandatory registration for comments.
