Located at 1220 Battleground Avenue in Midtown Greensboro, Scratch Handcrafted Donuts and Fried Chicken offers its namesake items as well as breakfast and lunch sandwiches and coffee drinks. It is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and specialty donuts rotate regularly.
The brainchild of Buddalicious Food Truck owner Jimmy Chhay, Scratch is Greensboro’s first chicken-and-donut shop. Given that the city lost both Rise and DonuTime in recent months, its arrival is fortuitous. It also brings a breakfast option and a lower-priced lunch alternative to the Midtown stretch of Battleground. However, neither novelty nor proximity will keep a restaurant afloat in the long run. Fortunately, Scratch has several indicators that point to staying power.
For starters, the selection here is commendable. Regular donut flavors range from simple glazes to pb&j and maple bacon to fritters. Breakfast sandwiches come on your choice of a biscuit, a donut bun (unglazed), or a glazed donut. Chicken is available in dry or wet flavors that evoke Southern (BBQ or buttermilk ranch) and Asian (Siracha honey or Korean) influences.
For my first time out, I went with one of the specialty donuts (caramel macchiato) and a fried chicken, egg, and cheese sandwich on a donut bun. The execution wasn’t flawless, but there was more good than bad. The donut’s icing was deliciously sweet and delivered both of the expected flavors. The donut itself tasted fresh though it was not especially remarkable. The breakfast sandwich was substantially bigger than a McMuffin clone, and the donut bun, though odd at first, held everything in place nicely. The chicken was a thin cutlet, crisply breaded and surprisingly moist. The sandwich as a whole, however, was frustratingly dry, and the establishment should definitely consider offering sauces and/or spreads as add-ons.
Scratch’s pricing won’t leave you feeling gouged. The donuts are mostly either $1.25 or $1.75 (only apple fritters run more). Breakfast sandwiches start at $1.50 with one topping included and 50 cents for each additional topping ($2.00 if that topping is fried chicken). For the quality and quantity, those rates are tough to beat.
Though Scratch is minimally decorated – unadorned tables and bare brick walls – it isn’t an eyesore. Seating, for a donut shop, is more than adequate. The counter staff seemed a bit harried at times, but no one was rude, and food came out relatively quickly (a sign by the menu advises patrons to expect a fifteen-minute wait on fried chicken orders).
All told, Scratch is no Rise, and there is room for improvement, but there are definite high notes, and its concept is one that does more than just sound good on paper. For anyone with an eclectic donut itch, Scratch is worth a try.
8/10
