The New Scratch

A preview of what’s to come when Scratch & Co. reopens: delicious steak from the new menu.

“Everything is changing.”

Whether it was laid out on their website or vocalized by owner Don Mahaney, this phrase has been a motto for Scratch & Co. over the last year.

The Troy Hill restaurant has leaned into change, supporting their community at every turn. They’ve pivoted from restaurant to community grocer and put together family-sized, affordable meal kits; Mahaney has sprinted up hillside steps to raise money for those who are food insecure and held a continuous partnership with the Allegheny YMCA to support and feed residents.

A rebrand – from Scratch Food + Beverage to Scratch & Co. – reinforced their commitment to the neighborhood and local initiatives. The new name brought with it a shelf-stable retail line, MADE by Scratch & Co., a “farm to people,” environmentally-conscious source of support for area farms, featuring jarred sauces, fermented items, and more. Exploring how the restaurant could better make themselves relevant to the community landed the Lowrie Street restaurant at Bar Botanico, where Mahaney jokes he hopes to “never leave.”

But Scratch's latest change is perhaps their biggest: a freshly-renovated space, transforming their dining room into a market.

“Last spring and summer it became clear to us that we needed to change how we used the square footage here,” Mahaney says. The newly-configured Scratch will still have seating (five or six tables in the market space and fresh, high-back booths in the bar area) but is designed to be interactive, physical, and dynamic. The former dining room is now outfitted with a deli case filled with farm-fresh produce coming from “beautiful farms doing beautiful things” and goods from third-party food vendors, a gallery wall for fine art, a section of home goods, and feature curated furnishings - available for purchase – from a vintage shop in Cleveland.

Menu attends to a wide array of palates, paying specific attention to “people who eat vegan and vegetarian and gluten-free.” Historically, Scratch has featured mostly Euro-inspired menus; now, Mahaney says, it will sit squarely in the Midwest of the U.S.

“There’s an egg custard pie on the menu – that’s from Indiana. On Fridays we’ll be doing fish and chips – most restaurants in the Midwest will always have fish on Friday. We’re doing our burgers, we’re calling them butter burgers, they’re sort of drenched in fat when they’re on the grill,” Mahaney explains, going on to say that the restaurant will have a to-go wine shop and a classic-focused bar program.

Everything the restaurant can source locally, they will. “You’re not going to find things on the menu that don’t come from Western PA or very close by… we’re not messing around with that, it’s our commitment to the local footprint,” Mahaney says.

With the new space comes a new service model, one that Mahaney calls “more inviting.”

“I always had it designed and had it in mind that as a restaurant that’s both a neighborhood space and a destination, I wanted people to be able to hang out and be comfortable, so we’re leaning into that further,” Mahaney says. The Scratch team is adding a tea service from 2 to 5 p.m., where anyone can come to relax, have conversations, and not feel pressured to buy loads of anything. “You can just relax and hang out with your friends and have a conversation.”

Table service will be more casual, with staff “meeting guests where they are;” ordering will be available through phones or by a more traditional, tableside experience.

“I think it will be a fun and interesting experience for anyone who comes through the space,” Mahaney says. “It’s not just getting it done and making it through the shift, it’s about creating a really good time for us and them.”

Scratch & Co. is set to have a soft opening in the next few days – keep an eye out on their social media for details. Reservations, when available, will be made through Open Table. The restaurant plans to continue its partnership with Bar Botanico.