Scratch Steakhouse planned for vacant restaurant in Orrville

ORRVILLE − When Orrville’s Councilman Darrell Mosley and his wife had the first bite of their appetizers at Scratch Steakhouse and Lounge in Louisville, Ohio, he knew what great value a steakhouse would add to Orrville.

He left his business card with the server and asked that the owner contact him.

A week after, the owner of Scratch, Demond Germany, met with Mosley to discuss opening another branch for Scratch.

“I saw a Facebook post that said, 'What do you want to see in Orrville?' and one left a comment saying, 'When I leave Orrville, I go for a good steak.' That struck out to me,” Mosley said.

Germany signed a lease with the Marketplace Plaza owners. The steakhouse will be located at 209 Hostetler Road and plans to open in early or mid-spring.

“I see a lot of potential here in Orrville,” Germany said. “I am looking forward to blending in and becoming a valuable member of the community and be able to give back not just take,” he said.

Germany has 25 years of experience in the culinary field.

“I started cooking in restaurants when I was 14,” he said.

Three years ago, he opened Scratch in Louisville. He serves steak dishes using 95% fresh ingredients — that's why he named it Scratch.

“We try to make our dishes different to stand out. When you look at our menu, you don’t see that menu anywhere else,” Germany said.

A job fair will take place three weeks before the opening, then Germany will hold training at Scratch in Louisville for the new team to see how they run everything.

“I have a good staff in Louisville, so I’ll be primarily here until we get a good staff,” he said.The steakhouse will offer dinner for the first two months and will be available for lunch soon after.The property was previously a Mexican buffet, but it didn’t last for long and has been sitting empty for nearly two years.“Part of it is because business owners didn’t put much investment to improve the plaza,” Mosley said.

But a steakhouse will attract other businesses to open, he said.

“The best thing about a plaza is that it feeds on each other. That's what helps it thrive,” he said.The property has a spacious dining area and kitchen, but Germany plans to redecorate it to have a fine dining atmosphere.

“I will do some painting, dim the lighting, and use tinted film on the windows to darken it,” Germany said.

Germany will offer carryout through local delivery services, catering, Happy Hour deals and other specials such as Tomahawk Tuesday.

Although a steakhouse means an expensive experience, Scratch will offer different dishes that will give a quality experience at an affordable price.

“The experience can be wherever you want it to be. You can come here and pay $60 for two or pay $360 for two,” Germany said.

Scratch’s mission statement is to be the premiere dining establishment in the community. For Germany, it's about giving back to the community.

“We are having another good citizen and entrepreneur, and Orrville is all about its people,” Mosley said.

Two private donors from Orrville will donate half of the cost of Scratch’s sign to show support to Germany.

“We will make sure that he thrives here,” Mosley said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Scratch Steakhouse and Lounge coming to Orrville in 2023