Johnson County fine-dining restaurant closed. Now, another is in its place
An upscale restaurant space at 3931 W. 69th Terrace in Prairie Village was void of clanking dishes and chattering customers for a couple of months.
Story, a spot with James Beard acclaim in The Shops of Prairie Village, closed in January, leaving many fine-dining fans in the metro grieving. But now the lights are on, and music is playing again. Customers holding wine glasses socialize at the bar and chatter at tables.
The sign reads “Scratch,” which Story fans may recognize as a longtime neighbor. But owner Tyler Morrison abandoned his much smaller digs — about a third of the size — to open in the space next door where he’s now located.
Now Scratch Gourmet Kitchen is fully operating. It’s different from Story, Morrison concedes. That spot, while beloved by its fans, had a more quiet atmosphere.
“I’m very much a social person,” he said. “I like music. I like noise. I like people talking.”
He wants it to be a place where people can dress up and enjoy a date night, or walk over after a workout and snag a cocktail.
The food, however, will still lean high-end.
Chef Mitchell Fetterling is always tinkering with it. He shifts gears seasonally and bases the menu on what’s fresh. Fetterling worked at two-star Michelin restaurant Saison in San Francisco, then Exit Strategy in Kansas City. Before all that, he was with Bluestem, a now-closed restaurant owned by Colby and Megan Garrelts.
Currently, the menu offers potato beignets (with dried mushroom and herb seasoning, charred leek and green goddess dip for $15), smoked mushroom rigatoni (local oyster mushrooms, lemon cream sauce, guanciale, crispy shallot for $33), roasted beet salad ($16), salmon ($37) and more.
“A lot of the food we’re moving into, especially with spring, is lighter, fresh flavors,” Fetterling explained.
Scratch doesn’t like to pigeonhole themselves too much, but the menu is roughly categorized as “comfort food,” not particular to any region. They source from local purveyors like Foote Cattle Company.
Honey comes from D Bar C Ranch, which is Morrison’s parents’ farm.
The bar program includes cocktails like Three Sips to the Wind (Navy Strength Gin, Terroir Gin, blanc and dry vermouth and Alpine for $18).
Morrison said the wine list is his area of expertise. His restaurant has been recognized by Wine Spectator for its wine list.
During an interview with The Star on Friday, waiters hustled through the space with plates. The once-beige walls now wear a deep teal green.
To be honest, Morrison admitted, he never wanted to be in the restaurant business. That was his family’s thing.
He’d grown up in the industry and had seen his parents work tireless hours. (His father, Charlie Morrison, was recently appointed the CEO of Jersey Mikes.) Not his path, he figured.
But he sort of stumbled into where he is now.
The former Top Golf executive first opened Scratch in 2021 as a four-night-a-week carryout spot during the pandemic. As COVID concerns waned, customers began to ask if they could eat their food inside the space. They put in a few chairs.
Then, in 2023, they rebranded as a dinner-only, casual fine-dining restaurant.
“That’s really what started us down this path,” Morrison said. “Every year, we’ve changed a little bit.”
The old spot finished with about 30 seats. The kitchen felt enormous while the dining room was cramped.
“A catering kitchen is not the best setup to run a restaurant,” Morrison said.
The new spot is a “big jump” with 84 seats, and about 60 more to come when the patio is finished. He’s plotting opportunities for live bands to play.
Plus, Morrison is now working on a concept in downtown Overland Park with Fetterling as a partner. The dual concept will be restaurant Telia on top and speakeasy-style lounge Night Owl underneath.
“We just care about giving good quality food, good experience,” Morrison said, “being a fun atmosphere and environment.”