LONG BEACH, Calif. - Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles has been in the news for less than ideal reasons in recent weeks, because its parent company has filed for bankruptcy.
But the glory of Roscoe’s on a race car on the streets of Long Beach is revived this weekend.
Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles is a Long Beach, California-based soul food restaurant chain founded by Herb Hudson, a Harlem native, in 1975.
What started as a “is this really happening?” type occasion when Magnus Racing, then in the American Le Mans Series’ GTC class, had Roscoe’s adorn its Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in 2011 has now seen the legendary Southern California restaurant - and a cult classic in the racing world - a staple on cars at Long Beach.
Magnus had the signage in 2011 and after the team no longer competed on the streets, Black Swan Racing took up the role starting in 2012.
Black Swan has placed the famed chicken and waffle icon on a range of vehicles including their Lola LMP2 coupe, Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3, and now Viper GT3.R.
“Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles is a franchise unlike any other, and we’re proud to support them.” said Black Swan’s team principal and driver Tim Pappas.
“They’ve obviously been in the news recently due to some hardships, and we wanted to step up and make sure the fans in Long Beach still had the opportunity to root for one of the most iconic brands in the area. It’ll be strange to see a giant chicken sitting on a Viper, but it’s the least we could do for Mr. Hudson and everyone in the organization.”