Home of Chicken & Waffles, an Oakland soul food staple that outlasted a relocation and two decades of waterfront churn, closes for good Aug. 31; owner Derreck Johnson says he is moving on.

After more than two decades of frying chicken and pouring drinks near Oakland's waterfront, Home of Chicken & Waffles is going dark. The soul food room will run its last service Aug. 31, its owner, Derreck Johnson, told KRON4, which first reported the news. He declined to spell out why, saying only that he was ready to move on.

The concept opened in the early 2000s at 444 Embarcadero West, where it built its name as a late-night eatery and bar built around fried chicken, waffles, and other soul food plates. Over the years it pulled in visiting political heavyweights — Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton among them — the kind of stature few neighborhood restaurants ever reach.

The business later moved to 247 4th Street, a relocation What Now San Francisco reported in 2024, citing Berkeleyside; the newer address sits near taprooms including Buck Wild Brewing and Original Pattern Brewing. It is that 4th Street room that closes at month's end. Johnson, also known around Oakland for a 2022 mayoral run, has been the restaurant's public face throughout.

The shutdown adds to a hard year for the corridor. Plank, the 50,000-square-foot dining-and-games complex on the Jack London waterfront, closed Aug. 2 after nearly 12 years; the Oakland brewery Line 51 poured its final pint July 19 after 13. Set against that stretch of departures, Home of Chicken & Waffles stood out as one of the area's most durable independents — a room that weathered a full relocation and is now closing on its own terms.

Johnson has not said what comes next. As of now, the counter has 17 days of service left.