

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. Hankerson denied the claims and said his mother did not have the mental capacity to terminate their agreement. 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. Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadioįollow Noise11.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. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
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As always, 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.”

While Knight is not part of the investigation, a spokesman did issue a statement to Atlanta’s WSB saying that “she is sure that her son and his business partners will rectify the situation. (Atlanta News First) - You can’t go wrong when you find a good chicken and waffle spot. There is a possibility that the restaurants could open as soon as Thursday under the management of the state. Atlanta Eats: 5 top chicken & waffle spots Atlanta Eats has five top spots to get chicken and waffles around the metro. Sources say that the authorities closed the business, making customers and employees leave, before seizing computers, files and other business equipment and records. The singer allowed her son, Shanga Hankerson, to use her name on the restaurant chain although she is not involved in ownership or day-to-day operations.Īccording to authorities, Hankerson is under investigation for improperly diverting an estimated $1 million from the business. Ratings Google 2. The Georgia Department of Revenue raided and shut down the three locations of Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffle Restaurants in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon.
