Philly's Scratch Kitchen is now open
Jun. 18—Philly's Scratch Kitchen is back in business after a long hiatus, owner Phyllis Gore said Thursday.
The restaurant, which features a fresh menu every day, was closed while it moved from a very small facility on 12th Street to a renovated warehouse at the corner of Rennie and East 9th Street in downtown Ada.
"We closed 'Little Philly's' because we knew we needed more space," Gore explained. "When we first came across this (new location), it was just an old, dusty warehouse that was basically used as storage. There was nothing in here; cement floors and just a bunch of stuff. I walked in and I saw the vision. My husband Oscar (Gore) walked in and was like, 'No way.'"
But Philly's vision prevailed, and after months of cleanouts and mechanical issues, the restaurant took shape.
"This is the original Coca-Cola building from the 1930s," Gore added. "I thought, 'How cool would it be to bring back that historic look of that building and turn it into a restaurant?'"
Work started in May 2021.
"It actually took two months just to get everything that was in here cleaned out," Gore added. "Here we were, 15 months into the project, when we finally got OK from the City for permits to open. And in that time, we met so many different challenges — the plumbing, the electrical, different contractors — it was a challenging time, but we're so proud of it today.
"My vision is for people to feel like they're not even in Ada any more when they walk in," Gore added. "When you walk in here, I want you to feel like you're somewhere else, like you're in the big city getting a total experience you can't get anywhere else, or kind of like I invited you into my dining and you're just at my house eating with me."
The official grand re-opening was June 10.
"We were closed for a really long time, and people were starting to doubt if we were ever going to re-open," Gore noted. "I almost wanted to give up sometimes because it took so long, but I knew that once we finished, it would be worth it."
The new facility features a 3000-square-foot dining area, and is expected to add a 3000-square-foot second story event center on the second floor.
Gore was in the military for nine years, and spent three years in law enforcement before becoming a restaurateur.
