Serving Up Southern Soul Food In Suburban Walnut Creek

The establishment of the Home of Chicken and Waffles in downtown Walnut Creek started with a walk around the block.

Derreck Johnson wanted to expand his popular restaurant in Oakland's Jack London Square to another location.

Walnut Creek was not his first choice. He had looked at towns such as Union City, Daly City and San Jose.

He had asked a friend, Peter Branttander, to help him with his search. Branttander, who works in the hotel business, suggested they look at the more upscale Walnut Creek.

"I hadn't really thought of Walnut Creek for the restaurant," said Johnson.

So, in July 2011, the two men drove to Walnut Creek, parked in the garage near the Century Theaters and took a walk around the neighborhood.

They came upon the closed-up Johnny Rocket's restaurant on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. It still had the chairs, tables and appropriate decor inside.

"It was already set up. It was just sitting there," said Johnson.

Branttader negotiated a lease and within two weeks Johnson had his place.

"I said let's just go for it," he said.

Johnson did a minimal amount of remodeling and brought in some of the decor from his Oakland restaurant, including the yellow wallpaper with drawings of his relatives with some of the dishes on the menu.

Things, however, started out bumpy. Johnson said he didn't expect the crush of customers in the first few weeks. Service and the preparation of food couldn't keep up with the demand, a fact that is reflected in early reviews on Yelp.

Johnson responded by bringing in some of his employees from Oakland. They also put more focus on the food.

The restaurant offers a variety of fried chicken along with their customary waffles. There's also macaroni and cheese as well as other Southern style favorites.

"The food we serve transcends all ages and races," said Johnson.

The Home of Chicken and Waffles also has some odd hours. It's open until midnight Mondays through Wednesday, until 1 a.m. on Thursday and then 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays.

They catch crowds coming out of the theaters after late movies. They also grab patrons as the bars close.

In the wee hours, they are usually the only place to eat that is open.

"We stay open and we get business by default," said Johnson.

Johnson said his restaurant offers an alternative to some of the more high-end places in town.

"Your everyday family person isn't always going to go to those places," he said.

Johnson also is committed to helping prison parolees turn around their lives. He hires a number of ex-offenders as employees.

He said the parolees are thankful for the opportunity and are some of his best workers.

"We hire people when no one will else will give them a chance. They turn out to be some of my most loyal employees," said Johnson. "At the end of the day, as a business owner I want to make a profit. As a human being, I want to make the world a better place."

Johnson grew up as an only child in Oakland, graduating from Bishop O'Dowd High School.  He attended Fisk University, thinking he wanted to be a dentist.

Instead, he went into business, establishing his first company at the age of 23. He owned an auto detailing business in Oakland in the 1990s.

He then worked as a promoter in the entertainment field before getting into the restaurant business.

Johnson had cousins who owned Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. When they closed up shop, he took over in 2004 and renamed the business.

The Walnut Creek restaurant now has 15 employees and Johnson is looking to expand again.

He's not sure where the next location will be. But perhaps a walk around the block somewhere will help him decide.