The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Meal kit business evolves into restaurant
Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles has signature entrees.
In January, Crystal Smith; her singer-songwriter husband, Ne-yo; and hip-hop artist Karlie Redd opened Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles in College Park.
During a recent late afternoon visit to pick up a takeout order, the restaurant was surprisingly busy, with customers seated around the dining room and at the bar.
As expected, chicken and waffles are the mainstay of the menu, with dark or white meat combos, jumbo chicken wings, crispy chicken tenders and Buffalo wings.
But, you’ll find salads, sides, breakfast platters and sandwiches, too. There’s also a take on Nashville hot chicken.
Though she had help developing the menu, Smith serves as the chef, and her two signature entrees — Southern barbecue salmon and Asian-inspired lamb chops — have become bestsellers.
“Honestly, as a child, I never liked to cook,” she admitted during a recent phone call. “Then, when I got engaged and
pregnant, I got more into it. You know how social media is, the whole hate train with relationships. I got really depressed, so I started cooking.”
Smith started out by looking up recipes and changing them to suit her taste. After she posted photos of the dishes on social media, people wanted to know how to make them.
“It just started blowing up,” she said. “People were requesting videos and recipes, and it just kind of created itself, so I formed Crystal Creations.”
That led to a collaboration with Gobble, known as the originator of the 15-minute gourmet dinner kit. “It snowballed into what it is now, and it ended up being my therapy,” Smith said.
She often takes inspiration from friends and family, including her husband. He requested barbecue sauce on his salmon one day, and Southern barbecue salmon was born.
“My husband loves it, and everyone else does, too, so I thought why not give it to Johnny’s, and see what it does,” she said. “Now, it sells out almost every day.”
The salmon and lamb chop dishes are available only on the dinner menu, after 4 p.m., so I wasn’t able to try them.
Of course, I did try the chicken, which Smith told me was created with a secret spice blend.
The flavor is subtle, but it works well with the crispy skin. And, I was pleased by how well the chicken traveled in plastic foam containers.
I wondered whether Smith ever dreamed of owning a restaurant when she was a kid, growing up Fort Myers, Florida.
“Five years ago, when I started cooking, I had no idea that this was what would happen,” she said. “I just wanted to start a Youtube channel, and try to do something with that. But, once I did the meal kit, and it had the success that it did, it gave me the drive to see what else I could do.”
Smith said the partners chose College Park for Johnny’s location, because it fit the target demographic.
“It just made sense to put the restaurant somewhere the audience would receive it well.” she said. “In College Park, there’s a lot of young
‘Five years ago, when I started cooking, I had no idea that this was what would happen. I just wanted to start a Youtube channel, and try to do something with that. But, once I did the meal kit, and it had the success that it did, it gave me the drive to see what else I could do.’ Crystal Smith Chef at Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles
people, and that works, because it’s a music-inspired atmosphere, and there’s a lot of foot traffic, and a lot of culture. We get a lot of people from the airport, so that worked out, for sure.”
Going forward, the plan is to franchise Johnny’s and open more locations. In the meantime, Smith is staying busy with the restaurant, and is expecting her third child with Ne-yo.
She also stays involved in the Smith Family Foundation, founded to support children in foster care.
“I was in foster care as a child, so that’s something that’s very important to me,” Smith said. “You will see Johnny’s doing some big things with the Smith Family Foundation, trying to bring awareness, and provide help to these kids, to show them that they’re not alone.”