Durham waffle king finds inspiration from his father

Richardson, better known as Big C, is mixing up waffles in every flavor you can imagine.

“We have different flavor waffles,” he said. “We have the bacon, egg and cheese waffle, donut waffle, blueberry waffle, pecan waffle, red velvet waffle, thin mint waffle …”

But that wasn’t always the case.

“I never thought about owning a waffle business,” Richardson said with a laugh.

Richardson inherited the inspiration from his father. He also inherited the nickname.

“He was big Carl and I was little Carl, so when he passed away, I became Big C,” he explained.

His dad’s passing was the turning point for Richardson’s career.

“I was working a corporate job, and my dad passed away, and basically I just wanted to do something better than what I was doing, and create a legacy and have his name live on,” Richardson said.

It was a big change, but one his old man prepared him for.

“That’s basically what he taught me to do growing up, in sports, in academics, anything, he was always on me,” he explained.

“He could do anything, and I felt like I could do anything, too,” he said.

Big Carl may be gone, but the family legacy lives on in the recipes.

There is Uncle Wayne’s Chicken. “Uncle Wayne – when you taste the chicken, that is his seasoning,” Richardson said.

And Granny B’s tropical punch! “Every time we had a church function, if my grandmother didn’t make the punch, nobody was drinking,” he said.

But the waffles are a Big C original.

“I created all the different flavor waffles,” Richardson said.

Speaking of getting creative, after the pandemic put a lot of people in dire straits, Richardson came up with way to help feed those in need.

“When you would go to the grocery store, everything was wiped out, so we wanted to provide meals for families,” he said. “So, I posted on my social media and within 14 days I had received over $1,500.”

If only Big Carl could see what his son has built.

“He’d definitely be like, ‘Son, I’m proud of you,’ and actually, he’d be right beside me, making me go even harder,” he said.

Proud is probably an understatement. Big C is doing A+ work

“We’re changing lives, one waffle at a time.”