Scratch Biscuit makes its mark on Roanoke.
At Scratch Biscuit Company, the down home breakfasts come hot and homemade. “We make our biscuits by hand each day,” says owner Nathan Webster. Beyond favorites like egg and cheese or sausage biscuits, look for the Jerry Garcia with smoked tofu; the Jezebel, made with country ham, pimento cheese, and jezebel sauce; or the Bless Your Heart Biscuit, filled with fried green tomatoes, bacon, and chipotle sauce.
“One biscuit is really enough,” says Webster, of his oversized Southern style “cathead” biscuits, which measure five inches across. For bigger appetites, platters at Scratch include The Cowboy Crippler— country fried sausage, pulled pork, hash browns, and cheese on a Scratch biscuit.
Pancakes, cinnamon rolls, breakfast tacos, and waffles—along with scrambled eggs, country ham, bacon, grits, fried apples, and hash browns—round out the menu.
And then there’s the coffee. Scratch brews exclusive roasts from sister company Henhouse Roasters. Look for Grelen Gold, served daily, along with Dark Side of the Barn, Dee’s Nuts, and Rooster Scratch blends. These, along with Scratch’s own Biscuit Mix—made with flour from family-owned Big Spring Mill in nearby Ellison—are available for purchase at Scratch’s online store.
Webster made the leap to open Scratch in 2017, when the former Village Grill restaurant space in Roanoke’s historic Grandin Village went up for sale. He’d been catering and serving wood-smoked barbecue from a food truck. But with Scratch, he wanted to create “a downhome good breakfast served in a warm comfortable setting.” The restaurant’s interior is “all made from Virginia wood, from the walls to the bar and tabletops.” Adding to the homey feel, “the farm tools on the walls were used by my grandparents,” he says.
In a time that’s pushed some restaurants to the brink, Scratch, says Webster, is “still going strong. I’m thankful for the customers and staff that continue to support us.” Coming later this year, Webster says he’s looking to implement online ordering and introduce a Scratch app. ScratchBiscuit.com
