DaBaby’s new Charlotte restaurant opened Sunday. The line was real. The prices are what went national.
Charlotte rapper DaBaby opened No Knife Chicken & Waffles on Sunday at 700 Atando Ave., the first brick-and-mortar home for the “No Knife” kitchen persona he built on social media. A giant waffle sign towers over the industrial stretch north of Uptown. Hours run 7 a.m. to 4 a.m., closed Mondays — a late-night play as much as a brunch play.
The prices that started it
This is not a combo plate. The waffle is one item. The chicken is extra.
- Plain Jane waffle: $15 — no toppings, no chicken
- Flavored waffles (strawberry shortcake, banana pudding, red velvet, peach cobbler and more): $25
- Soulfood Cornbread Waffle with collards, candied yams and mac and cheese: $45 — still no chicken
- Six wings: +$10
- Bottled water: $6
- Lemonades: $8
- 9-ounce lobster tail: $40
A strawberry shortcake waffle and six lemon pepper wings ran about $45 after tax and tip. The waffle was described as good. The receipt is the argument.
Charlotte split fast. One side says a hometown star can charge for a branded, made-from-scratch experience and that the line proved demand. The other side says Atando Avenue is not Miami brunch, chicken should come with the waffle, and $6 water is a joke.
Then TMZ piled on
By Monday, it was bigger than local comments. TMZ published “DaBaby’s Chicken and Waffle Prices Spark Outrage” under the headline “DaBaby’s Fans Your Waffles Cost Too Much Dough!!!” The site walked through the $15 plain waffle and $45 soul-food waffle, noted the three-hour wait, and closed with a DaBaby pun: wallets may start “Levitating” after No Knife.
Complex, Rolling Out and Queen City News followed. DaBaby posted gratitude after opening day but has not publicly answered the price pile-on. The shop’s Instagram is @noknifeclt.
Opening-day demand was not the problem. Whether people keep paying $25 for a waffle once the three-hour line is gone is the part Charlotte will decide.
