It's unclear how (or if) the restaurants will continue to operate going forward. Hankerson launched the concept in 1997, and there are now two locations in the Atlanta area - a third recently closed. In addition to having her name removed, TMZ reports Knight wants all memorabilia from the restaurants returned to her. Knight was not implicated in the allegations, and a GDR official told Channel 2 in Atlanta she was "totally in the clear." A statement from a spokesperson said "her main concern is for her family's well-being, and she is making sure the family has the guidance they need to assess the situation and move forward."Ĭurrently, it appears moving forward means stripping any evidence of her association with the chain. Following the raid, he was arrested and released on bail, and the restaurants are under new management. Authorities targeted the singer's son for allegedly "stealing over $650,000 in both sales and withholding tax." With penalties and interest, GDR officials say Hankerson owes more than $1 million. Hankerson operated the Atlanta-based chain before a Georgia Department of Revenue raid in June. Knight has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Shanga Hankerson, her own flesh and blood, to have her name removed from the Gladys Knight's Signature Chicken & Waffles chain. That's what famed singer Gladys Knight is doing, according to TMZ.
The other two restaurants no longer operate.What do you do when your son tarnishes your good name with a corrupt restaurant business? You sue him. The parties settled the lawsuit in January on undisclosed terms, court records indicate. Hankerson’s tax lawyer declined to comment to CNN at the time. She formally ended the agreement in July 2016, one month after Georgia Department of Revenue agents executed search warrants at the restaurants and a corporate office in an attempt to arrest Hankerson in a tax and theft investigation. 529 West Peachtree Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. Hankerson denied the claims and said his mother did not have the mental capacity to terminate their agreement. Get an in-depth review of Gladys Knight & Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles in United States. Knight’s federal lawsuit alleges mismanagement led to declining revenues. Two more restaurants opened in the suburbs as the original intown location drew crowds of tourists and locals who would wait hours for fried chicken and waffles. She and her son entered into an agreement in 1999 allowing him to use her name and likeness in his restaurants in exchange for monthly royalties, according to her lawsuit.
Knight was born in Atlanta and lives in Nevada. Hankerson and his lawyer did not immediately respond Wednesday to requests for comment.
She said the owner was in the process of updating signage and the website logo, but she said she did not know when the changes would take effect. General manager Tammy Caldwell confirmed that the new name was officially in place. The restaurant passed an inspection on Tuesday under the same name. The online menu still offers the “Midnight Train” – “Southern fried jumbo chicken wings and one Original waffle” – named for Knight’s hit “Midnight Train to Georgia.”īut in a failed health inspection report on Monday, first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the name listed at the restaurant’s address was The World Famous Chicken & Waffles. An employee answered the phone using the name Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles. She demanded that he stop using her name and likeness in the restaurants, which serve traditional Southern fare, citing declining success and Hankerson’s ongoing legal troubles.Īs of Wednesday afternoon, the Peachtree Street location’s signage bore the same name it had when it opened in 1999 with star-studded fanfare. The Grammy-winning artist filed a lawsuit in August 2016 against son Shanga Hankerson, owner of the three Atlanta-area restaurants. The end of an era has come for an Atlanta dining institution.Īfter a heated legal dispute, legendary soul singer Gladys Knight’s name is no longer connected to the last of her three namesake restaurants, Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles.
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