Update: The restraurant opened for business at 8 a.m. Sunday.

The long-anticipated wait for a plate of fried chicken and waffles slathered in sugarcane syrup is about over.

Los Angeles institution Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles is expected to open its first Orange County restaurant as early as late this afternoon, a Roscoe’s official said Friday. The self-described “no-fuss” family-run operation has been promising to fling open its doors for months – leaving local fans in suspense.

A soul food mecca with a following that spans celebrities, athletes, foodies and out-of-towners who are somehow in the know about the Southern California chain, Roscoe’s entrance into Orange County is considered a coup for its legions of fans, many of whom had to trek to outlets in Long Beach and Los Angeles to get the Big Mamma Special (scrambled eggs mixed with onions and cheese and served with potatoes “smothered in gravy”) and its most popular item, the No. 9, a large circular waffle smothered in butter and served with a trio of meaty chicken wings.

The Anaheim location will offer the same Roscoe’s menu, plus it will serve beer, wine and cocktails from a bar in the upstairs terrace facing Harbor Boulevard.

Its interior is likely to look similar to the original restaurant in Hollywood, with wood paneling on the walls and ceiling, according to the manager of the new Anaheim restaurant, who was still working at the Hollywood location as of Friday. Another employee said many of the celebrity photos that have lined the walls were removed recently – perhaps en route to Anaheim, which is advertised on the back of the current Roscoe’s menu as location No. 7, “near Disney” at 2110 S. Harbor Blvd.

“Chicken and waffles at Disneyland? That would be awesome,” said Joey McNeil, after dining at the original Roscoe’s on Gower Street in Hollywood for the first time Friday as part of a vacation from Grand Rapids, Mich.

He and his wife and two sons had all enjoyed the No. 9 and, like most visitors to the perpetually packed Roscoe’s, posed for pictures with the Roscoe’s sign that features a smiling chicken fanning its wings from the center of a golden waffle.

“Aint pan fried,” according to the colorful T-shirts sold inside.

The Anaheim Roscoe’s is not inside Disneyland.

Related: Roscoe’s enters thriving tourist zone near Disneyland

Rather, it is down the street, sandwiched between a gas station and a Budget rental-car office near Harbor and Orangewood Avenue. Its humble locale makes it that much more authentic for a restaurant that started at a single location with 14 tables and will soon have seven locations: Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach, Pasadena, L.A., West L.A. and now Anaheim.

A series of delays have plagued the Anaheim restaurant since construction began about two years ago. The latest delay came Friday afternoon, when a city inspection uncovered several fire and safety issues connected to last-minute changes made to the restaurant’s cooking equipment and mechanical systems, said Anaheim spokeswoman Ruth Ruiz.

Roscoe’s is covering a city inspector’s fees to come out special today, Ruiz said, with hopes of getting clearance by this afternoon. If the inspection fails, the city worker is to come out again Sunday.

Prior to that, both sides battled over meeting parking demands after Roscoe’s opted to add a second floor. The issue was resolved when Roscoe’s added 10 mechanical lifts for 20 employee vehicles, Ruiz said. A car will be lifted up, and then another will slide beneath it.

New York transplant Herb Hudson unveiled the first Roscoe’s in 1975 because he couldn’t find a restaurant open past 9 p.m., especially one that offered all-day breakfast and soul food. Its inspiration was likely Wells Supper Club in Harlem – a late-night eatery for jazz musicians looking for a bite after their shifts, when it was too early for breakfast but too late for dinner. Now, they could get both meals combined.

The Hollywood Roscoe’s specializes in grandma’s Southern specialties, fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese and corn bread.

John T. Edge, author of “Fried Chicken: An American Story,” told NPR last year that chicken and waffles is a “Southern dish once or twice removed from the South.” The dish, he said, has been popularized by Southerners “now living in urban areas,” including Los Angeles.

But despite its popularity, Roscoe’s operators maintain an air of mystique about the brand. They don’t advertise. They rarely shut down for special events or filming. And they don’t do formal interviews.

The chain’s main focus is on the food and the people.

“We don’t have customers. We have family,” the company likes to say. “We want you to feel like you are at home here. We try and make food like grandma made.”

Like grandma, Roscoe’s keeps its secret recipes close to the vest.

The restaurant has declined requests to appear on Food Network’s popular “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” because the show often reveals kitchen know-how.

Some exceptions have been made. Roscoe’s was featured in “Food Paradise” on the Travel Channel. In the episode, few food details were captured.

The chicken, supplied by Foster Farms, is marinated with a proprietary seasoning, then coated with plain flour. It is then fried in a cast-iron skillet for about 30 minutes. No deep frying.

Roscoe’s says secrecy is so important that the behind-the-counter cooks don’t know the recipe. The chicken seasoning is prepared off-site by a supplier contracted to keep mum about the ingredients. The end result: a succulent, juicy piece of fried chicken – made to order with sides that include gravy and onions, biscuits, waffles and fries.

Las Vegas resident Kelly Hawthorne was making her second visit to Roscoe’s in Long Beach Friday when she ordered the chicken and waffles – the same dish she ate last time.

“I wanted to make sure this was the real deal,” she said. “I’ll try something else the next time I come, but I like it here because the service is really fast. Even though it’s a long wait, they get you in and they get you out.”

Followers are as loyal as In-N-Out-Burger’s.

In many ways, the two Southern California institutions resemble each other. Both are family-run, media-shy operations that offer a limited menu of fresh, never-frozen ingredients. Each has a cult-like following, including unpaid endorsements from Hollywood elite.

At Roscoe’s, celebrity sightings run from rappers to super models to politicians: Cindy Crawford, Kobe Bryant, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and President Bill Clinton to name a few. Photos with the celebrity clientele are the main decor.

Regulars at the Pasadena Roscoe’s include will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, who has a recording studio in nearby Atwater Village, and Michael Jackson’s children, Paris, Prince and Blanket, who often visit after Dodgers games, according to a server. Former L.A. Lakers star Magic Johnson is a regular at the original Roscoe’s, according to shift leader Rosa Oria.

Super fan Snoop Dogg carries an all-you-can-eat “gold” card for Roscoe’s, apparently given to him for his loyalty. During a 2008 visit with former CNN host Larry King, the rapper ordered his favorite plate, The Oscar – three wings, grits, one egg and a fluffy biscuit.

“This is the only restaurant you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time,” he told King, advising him to stuff his biscuit with grape jelly.

Not even President Obama can resist.

On his way to a Hollywood fundraiser in 2011, the president realized Roscoe’s was close, so he had to stop by. Secret Service gave Roscoe’s five minutes’ notice to prepare for the president’s arrival. Photos of the president at the Pico Boulevard location are framed and hang on the walls at many Roscoe’s restaurants.

That impromptu 45-minute visit was captured on video. After mingling with customers, Obama left carrying a yellow plastic bag filled with takeout containers.

His order?

The No. 9 or Country Boy – wings and waffles with hot sauce (Roscoe’s later renamed the plate the Obama Special).

Later that night on the “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Obama joked about the presidential limousine smelling like chicken.

“It smelled pretty good,” he said.

Good, and it was also messy.

By the end of the ride, the president found himself with his sleeves rolled up, a spot on his tie and chicken in his teeth, he told Leno.

“It was not elegant. But outstanding chicken.”

Finally, O.C. residents are about to experience that for themselves.

Contact the writers: nluna@ocregister.com, scarpenter@losangelesregister.com amarroquin@ocregister.com