Derrick Johnson
Founder
Home of Chicken and Waffles
Oakland, CA USA
“Stay focused and don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationDerrick Johnson
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I was born and raised in Oakland, California.
When I went to college, my first goal was to become a dentist, but I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me as I gained more experience.
I decided to look into business instead—I got an internship at IBM during my junior and senior years, which helped to solidify my interest in business.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fisk University, an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee.
While the corporate experience at IBM was valuable, I realized that I would rather work for myself than a corporation.
My father is one of the original founders of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and my cousins had a franchise in Oakland—I became an investor when they wanted to reopen the restaurant.
I ended up completing the remodel and rehabilitation, and then took over as lead—I’ve been running the restaurant now for over 20 years.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Founder
I run a chicken and waffles restaurant.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Entrepreneurship
Food
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
My day to day includes all tasks and responsibilities of running a restaurant, from inventory to scheduling to operations. My main objective is to market the business and make sure customers come through the door and leave happy.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Go work in a restaurant and gain hands-on experience. Get close to whoever that owner is, learn about their work and life, ask questions, and decide if that's something you're interested in.
