It was around 2 a.m. on a Saturday in late October. L.C. Ashford was asleep in his bed when God sent him a dream about opening up a chicken and waffles restaurant named Cluck & Waffles.
“The name, logo, and concept for the restaurant were all in the dream,” Ashford said. “I went to my computer immediately and got to work.”
A month and a half later on December 5, 2020, at 11 a.m., Cluck & Waffles opened and has been open ever since. Cluck and Waffles is located at 6011 Watson Blvd, Unit 380 in Byron, Ga. Ashford said he knew people would be skeptical and disapprove of him opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, but he did not let those voices stop him. Ashford and his wife Rebecca only used their own money to start the restaurant.
“People said I was crazy and should wait. I thought wait for who? Or wait on what? I didn’t even think about the pandemic. I just focused on what God told me. God is bigger than the pandemic,” Ashford said.
According to Yelp the Cluck and Waffles menu, of course, has chicken and waffles, but they also have items like the Twaco which is a taco where the shell is a waffle filled with mac and cheese, chicken seasoned to your liking and it comes with your choice of crinkle or waffles fries.
“I try to make a menu that touches everyone’s palate,” Ashford said.
The restaurant also sells breakfast and desserts like apple or peach cobbler in a waffle cone. Then Saturdays at Cluck and Waffles are Soul Food Saturdays where you can get food items like fried ribs, collard greens, and fish.
Ashford is also a pastor, owns a food truck, and runs a sanitization business. Ashford has been an entrepreneur since he was 8 years old.
Ashford is originally from Port Arthur, Texas. In his youth, he would run a different business depending on what season it was. In the summer he would go house to house with a lawnmower and cut his neighbor’s lawns, but when he wasn’t mowing he would sell what he called “cool cups.” A “cool cup” is Kool-Aid in a styrofoam cup that is frozen and then eaten like a slushie/popsicle. In the fall Ashford would go to his neighbor’s yards with trash bags and rake up the leaves in their yards. Ashford said it was easy money.
After graduating from high school Ashford enlisted into the military to help his mom with bills. Ashford’s mother raised five children on her own after his father passed away. Ashford served a total of 15 and a half years and did four combat tours. After retiring from the military, Ashford started to experiment with different businesses. In Texas, he owned an apparel store that sold “Sunday clothes” like dresses and suits. He also operated a tax business. Ashford also owned two food trucks called “LA Ice and Concessions”
In 2007, Ashford moved from Texas to Georgia. In 2017, Ashford reopened the “LA Ice and Concessions” food truck under the name “The Foodie King.” “The Foodie King” these days only caters and does special events. “The Foodie King” menu has items like hamburgers, Philly cheeses, four different types of fish, steak burgers, po’boys, and deserts.
While in the military Ashford felt called to ministry. In 1993, he answered the call to preach, then in 1995, he started actually pastoring. Ashford said only what you do for Christ will last.
Ashford is currently the pastor of Spring Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Kathleen, Ga. He has been the pastor there for six years. Ashford leads worship at the church as well, he goes from playing the drums straight to the pulpit most Sundays. Ashford also does not receive a salary from the church but does it for the love of the ministry. He became the pastor after members of the church voted for him.
“It was more than a vote, God chose me. God always places you where you need to be,” Ashford said.
Ashford also runs A&C Eco-Solutions, a sanitization business where he sanitizes his own church, homes, cars, and businesses. Ashford started the company after his wife told him to because the company she worked for couldn’t find someone to sanitize their building. Ashford and his wife then put their own money into the business and they made it all back during the first month.
Ashford and his wife Rebecca have been married for 13 years and have six children and five grandkids. He said God gives him the strength to keep going.
“My plate can be full and often overflows, but God gives me the strength to continue. I love being my own boss. It’s not about multiple streams of income, but it’s a ministry because now I can give other people jobs and help them,” Ashford said.
Ashford said his kids and grandkids keep him motivated to keep going as well.
“I want to leave a legacy for my kids and grandkids. I don't want to leave bills for them and I want to break that cycle,” Ashford said.
Ashford said if he could one piece of advice to people wanting to open a business during Covid it would be to pray and think about it.
“Pray and think about it. If God says yes, do it. Bottom line. You can let people steal your joy and stifle your growth. You can’t always go to other people all the time. Step out on faith and make it happen. If you put the work in, you will make it,” Ashford said.
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