Chicken, waffles and ... salmon? What to know about new Pop's restaurant in Barberton
It was a longer process for Pop's Chicken & Waffles' owners to get to opening day than they would have preferred.
Months longer, as post-pandemic staffing issues played a significant role in slowing things down.
But to customers at the Barberton diner on Thursday, the wait seemed well worth it.
The restaurant, located at 1494 W. Waterloo Road, opened June 27. It's the first in what owners Keith Brewer, Shatanie Brewer and Amos Coleman hope will become a series of Pop's establishments with franchising opportunities down the road.
Big plans, but the owners have a track record owning and operating small businesses.
Diversifying into new business
The Brewers run a UPS store in Alliance, a Dollar Plus and More store in Akron, the Care for You Homecare Agency in Copley and a construction company.
Coleman, who grew up in Barberton, owns AC Ice Cream, which operates in Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls.
Keith Brewer and Coleman said Pop's represents a move to diversify their business holdings in a business sector with vast potential for growth. They believe the Pop's menu will draw customers and keep them coming back.
More than chicken and waffles
Although the chicken and waffles meal will remain Pop's signature offering, the restaurant has a broad lineup for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Take the traditional biscuit, sausage and gravy breakfast; the Kick-start Breakfast with eggs, meat and waffles; and the New York strip steak breakfast.
Pop's also offers burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs with a host of sides and appetizers to choose from. There's even a Hawaiian Salmon entree.
"We bring the old-school in with contemporary (menu items)," Keith Brewer said.
Why locate on Waterloo Road?
Pop's owners wanted to offer something unique that had wide appeal, and the waffle-chicken combination has grown an increased fan base in the U.S. in recent years.
"They look at chicken as being the other breakfast meat," he said.
The Brewers and Coleman scouted Akron and Barberton for a year for their first Pop's, eventually finding the Waterloo Road location, where a different restaurant previously operated. It's located near several large businesses, providing a significant potential customer base close by.
"We bounced the idea off several businesses," Brewer said. "... There are not a lot of places for them to eat."
Another advantage came from the building itself.
"Going with an existing restaurant, it lowered the amount of the initial investment," he said.
What about the chicken and waffles?
Unlike many establishments that offer chicken and waffles, Pop's comes with whole chicken pieces — not tenders or nuggets.
The breakfast comes with three pieces of fried chicken, waffles and syrup. On Friday, Pop's added a spicy chicken option to the mix.
"It's a great, cheap meal," Coleman said.
The Brewers and Coleman said Pop's, like their other businesses, are family owned and operated. That means the Brewers' five daughters and Coleman's children all help out.
"Up until the opening, we had been coming every night until 2 in the morning," Brewer said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Pop's Chicken & Waffles opens in Barberton
