After several stops and starts—and even more false-alarm announcements—Ludacris is finally opening his Chicken-n-Beer restaurant in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The rapper-turned-foodie has been promising fans a restaurant for years, practically since his multi-platinum album of the same name dropped over a decade ago. Earlier this week, he posted a video on Instagram announcing that his new venture would open its doors on Thursday in the airport’s Concourse D.
“I’ve seen it come from my third album all the way to a restaurant,” the rapper said in the video, the restaurant and its staff bustling in the background. “I’m talking about great food, great drinks, great energy, and my employees are the greatest employees in the world.”
Since as far back as 2003, Ludacris has hinted that he would turn his album name into a restaurant concept in his hometown of Atlanta. In 2009, Eater reported that the Atlanta City Council had approved a new, $3 billion package for airport concessions, which included 150 different restaurants—one of which was Luda’s. The rapper even closed down his well-received Singaporean restaurant Straits in order to concentrate on his chicken-n-beer-themed passion project.
Interest in his restaurant plans spiked again in 2012 when Luda made a formal announcement on Twitter that it was in the works.
A photo posted yesterday on the rapper’s Instagram also shows the new restaurant’s menu, which looks to feature classic southern fare, including chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits. But be on the lookout for what appears to be a couple of curveballs in the form of a Cajun boiled peanut “hummus” and an IPA cheeseburger.
“So there you go, everybody. It took me three years but it’s finally coming to fruition,” he said in the video. “Anything that’s worth waiting for is worth having. And we are finally here—chicken and beer.”
[via Hot New Hip-Hop]