DaBaby’s No Knife Chicken & Waffles officially opened in Charlotte during Labor Day weekend. The Charlotte native celebrated the grand opening on Sunday, Sept. 6, with supporters showing up – lined up for hours, showing photos and clips of their food from the new restaurant.
No Knife, located in North Charlotte, offers a variety of speciality waffles, Southern comfort dishes, seafood, sides, egg rolls, and specialty drinks.
The waffle lineup includes Plain Jane, Banana Pudding, Birthday Cake, Blueberry Lemon, Cookies & Cream, Peach Cobbler, Red Velvet, Strawberry Shortcake, Sweet Potato, and the signature Soulfood Cornbread Waffle, topped with collard greens, candied yams, and mac & cheese. Guests can also add chicken wings for an additional price.
Other menu options include fried fish, chicken wings, lobster tail, crab cakes, fried fish and grits, crab fried rice, lobster and grits, jerk chicken and birria egg rolls, plus sides like collard greens with smoked turkey, mac & cheese, grits, and sweet potato casserole.
The prices of the food have become a divided issue on The Exclusive Press’ social media pages, mostly on Instagram and TikTok, with some believing that it costs too much while others believe it’s a reasonable price.
Others suggested that people who think it’s costly should not go, that if it were a white establishment, Black people would not be complaining, while encouraging people to support Black businesses. Some also believe that it’s all about the presentation, complaining about the food being served in a pizza-style box without foil or traditional food-service packaging.
Soul Food Waffle Topped with Collard Greens w/ Smoked Turkey, Mac-n-Cheese, and Candied Yams; Photo Credit: @DatGirl_Icey/X
The Plain Jane waffle costs $15, the specialty waffles cost $25, and the infamous Soulfood Cornbread Waffle costs $45. The cost does not include the chicken wings, which are an additional $10 for six wings. Jerk chicken and birria egg rolls are $20. Seafood boil egg rolls cost $30. Drinks cost $6, with specialty drinks costing $8.
DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, recently made an appearance on Positively Charlotte with Alicia L. Quarles and explained why the food, including the Soulfood Cornbread Waffle, costs $45. He mentioned that the waffle contains 100% cornmeal. He also discussed other ingredients, like the blueberry lemon waffle, which includes real lemon juice.
Despite his explanation, some critics still were not satisfied, believing that the ingredients he mentioned do not justify the price he is charging.
DaBaby, seen showing off his Strawberry Shortcake waffle on Power 98, revealed on the Angie Martinez Show that he had a love for cooking since he was seven years old; Photo Credit: Getty Images, DaBaby, and @imnolimitlarry/TikTok
However, DaBaby is standing down. Regardless of the criticism surrounding the menu, the Charlotte native appears confident in what he is offering and is not backing down from the prices he has set for his restaurant.
With the doors to No Knife officially opened, supporters and potential customers are deciding whether the food and overall experience are worth the price.
So, Peeps, what do you think? Do you think DaBaby’s prices are reasonable for what he’s offering, or do you think the food costs too much? Let us know what you think.
