Kid Rock Is Scattered, Smothered, Covered At Waffle House

POSTED: 2:42 pm EDT March 11, 2008
UPDATED: 5:02 pm EDT March 11, 2008


DULUTH, Ga. -- Kid Rock caused a scene at a Waffle House on Tuesday, but this time it was on purpose.

The entertainer came to sign autographs for hundreds of fans during a fundraiser at a suburban Atlanta diner. The event came just a week after Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, pleaded not guilty to a charge of battery from a fight last fall at another Waffle House in metro Atlanta.

Waffle House spokeswoman Kelly Thrasher said the Atlanta-based company wanted to "take a negative situation and turn it into a positive situation."

Proceeds from the fundraiser were to go to Nicholas House, a homeless shelter for families in DeKalb County, where the 37-year-old entertainer was arrested last October following a fight with a customer. Ritchie was scheduled to serve food to customers at the Waffle House on Tuesday but changed plans when he realized he would only have time to sign autographs before leaving to prepare for his concert scheduled for later that evening at nearby Gwinnett Arena.

Ritchie said he wanted to make up for what happened in October.

"The whole situation before was kind of silly," he said as he signed autographs for fans. "We just thought after that unfortunate incident we'd try to do something silly but something more positive."

With posters, CDs, guitars and hats in hand, the line of Kid Rock fans snaked around the building for hours waiting for an autograph and photo with the so-called "hick-hop" star. One woman sang Kid Rock songs as she waited.

Some of the fans drove hundreds of miles to see him.

First in line were Ashley Miles, 21, a nurse from Morgantown, W. Va., and her mother, Terri Miles, from Maryland. They arrived at 8:30 p.m. Monday, set up chairs and waited all night for a chance to see the star.

"I love him, he is gorgeous," the daughter said.

Next in line were Alisha Mullen and her husband Wes Mullen, who arrived at 3:30 a.m. from Point Pleasant, W. Va. They brought their sons Carson Taylor, 7, and Brady Taylor, 10.

When asked what he would say to Kid Rock, Carson smiled and said, "I'm a cowboy, baby," mimicking Ritchie's hit song.

Police say Ritchie's tour bus had stopped at another metro Atlanta Waffle House about 5 a.m. on Oct. 21 after his performance at The Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta. An exchange of words with a customer escalated into a fight that spilled from the restaurant out into the parking lot, police said.

At some point, the customer punched out a window in the restaurant, police said.

Officers took Ritchie and five members of his entourage into custody about a mile down the road after the group left the Waffle House.

MmmKay

Mach said:

Sounds familiar dosen't. Deja Vu.

Last time I was in Atlanta,I noticed that there are so many of these Waffle Houses.I never ate there though...is the food any good?

I just got so hungry for some Waffle House. damn it.

Raze said:

so their food is good?

SoulAlive said:

Not unless u like slop.....

Graycap23 said:

SoulAlive said:

Greasy spoon food

I'm really starting to like Kid Rock. He seems like a genuinely nice, down to earth guy. I just saw the episode of Run's House when he spent the weekend with Run's family. When they went to Hooters for dinner he had on a T-shirt that said "I Love Black People." (He should since his son's half black) Then he took Run's youngest son, whose an aspiring guitarist, to the store and bought him a $5,000 guitar. They stayed up all night playing. It was too cute.

Mach said:

No doubt. Gotta give it up for the local dinners & truck stops.

SoulAlive said:

I live in Duluth.....I wonder which of them ~there is a Waffle House on every corner~ it was....and I am glad I was NOT there....driving from West VA to Atlanta to see Kid Rock? And train your kids to sing his songs? "I love him. He is gorgeous"?

MsLegs said:

MsLegs said:

Local diners and truck stops have great food...Waffle House is neither....it is a franchised chain of stores and there are gadzillions of them!!!

SoulAlive said:

It is at 3:00 A.M. after the club close.
Let me have a T-bone steak, eggs sunny-side up and a ton of hashbrowns...mmmmm