{
  "id": 6616210,
  "title": "DaBaby Claps Back at Critics of His New Restaurant’s Prices: ‘Waffle House Has Something for You’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/dababy-claps-back-at-critics-of-his-new-restaurants-prices-waffle",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-10T17:02:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/dababy-reacts-criticism-new-restaurant-prices-1236337383/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "DaBaby, the \"Pop Dat Thang\" rapper, opened his No Knife Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Charlotte, N.C. earlier in September. He has already faced criticism regarding the prices on his menu, which range from $15 for plain waffles to $45 for a signature Soulfood Cornbread Waffle with three sides. During an interview with Queen City News, DaBaby defended his pricing during an interview with Positively Charlotte on September 9. He emphasized the homemade quality and real food served at his establishment, explaining that he expects and values quality in dining out. DaBaby stated, \"None of our waffles are flour and water, waffle batter and water. All of this is real homemade waffle batter. You also can't finish our waffles. You know you're eating real food.\"\n\nThose dissatisfied with the pricing were directed to Waffle House, a popular chain, with DaBaby acknowledging its existence but promoting his higher-end dining experience. Entrepreneur Vivian Tu, who supported DaBaby, noted that certain cuisines warrant higher prices and that soul food restaurants such as his tend to have thinner profit margins. Tu remarked, \"There are cuisines that we're willing to pay more for, and cuisines we're not. And I say this as a Chinese-American: There is an expectation that your chicken and broccoli is $7.\"\n\nDaBaby has also made waves in the music industry, releasing his album \"Be More Grateful\" in January. His hit single \"Pop Dat Thang\" peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.",
  "summary": "The \"Pop Dat Thang\" rapper opened No Knife Chicken & Waffles in Charlotte, N.C., earlier in September.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}