Local Business Showcase: Bad Chic Chicken & Waffles

Nothing says homecoming like some home cooking, and we’ve got Ivory Orr (’03) bringing his Bad Chic back to the Nest in this month’s #LocalBusinessShowcase.

Bad Chic Chicken & Waffles launched in 2022. Orr and his daughter, Maliyah, are noted foodies, so while they base their menu off items they enjoy, it’s fortunate everyone else finds them just as delicious. Items like the Cinnabun waffle have been a huge hit, and they keep introducing new options like Fruity Pebble and Cinnamon Toast Crunch waffles. A new Strawberry Cheesecake waffle is currently in the works.

Before applying to UNF, Orr played football and wrestled in high school, sometimes getting himself into shenanigans. Around his junior year, he found faith, decided to get serious about his future and really turned his life around. One of the deans noticed his improvement and approached him about applying for a new Honorees Scholarship partnership between Nike and the Jaguars. He took his time and filled out the application and next thing you know he’s meeting the NFL Commissioner and CEO of Nike as their first scholarship recipient, receiving a full ride to attend UNF.

Orr graduated from the UNF Coggin College of Business with degrees in marketing and management. He loved football and music, and his entrepreneurial passion fueled dreams of running a record label. While other labels at that time were funded through shady practices, Orr refused to go down that path and instead funded his music by throwing parties. He noticed all college students like to party, they just need a good location and the right playlist. He started the Hip Hop Union as an officially student organization and used that to get free reservations on UNF’s campus. He would partner with other organizations like fraternities and the Filipino Student Association to host their events, and even have the DJ slide some of his own music in. His parties were so off the hook, rumor has it the original Boathouse shut down because it couldn’t contain them.

Once he realized this is something that extends past the college realm, he’s been running entertainment in Jacksonville for the last 20 years. He went from hosting events with local businesses and nightclubs to owning those nightclubs and restaurants. He started Crown Capital and built his name in the entertainment industry, working for DEF JAM and managing BET’s Rap City. Orr said the connections he developed through his time in college and in the entertainment business helped propel his career and his newest business venture.

Orr comes from a big family. His grandmother has 10 kids, so his family reunions have hundreds of guests. But unfortunately, he never met his father. That’s why being a father is his most important job. His daughter is his best friend, and everything he does is to protect and provide for her. When the pandemic struck, the entertainment business took a huge hit. He and Maliyah pondered how to pay the bills when they were driving around and saw some food trucks. They started brainstorming the idea of opening their own food truck, and what started out as a joke ended with a menu, a marketing strategy and a name.

As a previous restaurant owner, Orr had experience with some successful practices, but also learned from his share of failures to help shape their business in a better direction. The goal of this business was to teach his daughter about business before she heads off to college, while establishing some passive income. He partnered with one of his friends he had worked with from the UNF FSA. Their original plan was to hire a restaurant veteran for their official launch at their first booked event, but after the chef got sick, Orr had to learn all the ins and outs to keep the business running. “We were going from zero to one,” he said. “Starting a startup, you’re looking for the minimum viable product.” So instead of worrying about all the things going wrong, they just thought about all the things going right, which helped them continue the business. After continuously learning and growing with new product development, this upcoming April will mark their two-year anniversary.

While Maliyah heads off to college, she looks forward to taking her knowledge from the classroom and applying it to her business. She still doesn’t know what she wants to do after graduation, but she appreciates the legacy she created working with her father and the opportunities it will provide her down the road.