First Look: Chicken Scratch at City Foundry in St. Louis

When former Niche executive chef Nate Hereford left St. Louis for San Francisco in 2016, it seemed like he was probably gone for good. But two years later, he returned to St. Louis and began developing a rotisserie concept. “Why not do rotisserie?” Hereford thought. “It seemed like a super unique idea for St. Louis.” Today, Hereford’s long anticipated Chicken Scratch is finally open at the City Foundry STL at 3730 Foundry Way in St. Louis.  

The centerpiece of Chicken Scratch is, of course, Hereford’s rotisserie chicken, which is cured overnight and then given a hefty dry rub full of herbs and spices. Then it’s cooked in Hereford’s Rotisol, a state-of-the-art French rotisserie oven that lives in Chicken Scratch’s kitchen and is visible to customers walking by. “The rotisserie oven is great – it’s like driving a Cadillac,” Hereford said. “Seeing the chicken spinning is part of the allure. It’s hard not to stare.” 

Alongside rotisserie, which is available in a quarter bird or a full (but only in the evening for a full bird), Chicken Scratch offers a salad, a chicken dip sandwich with jus and marinated kale, a fried chicken sandwich and a chicken salad sandwich. The three available sauces are a hot sauce, the buttermilk- and herb-based Scratch sauce and a horseradish mustard. Six sides include two rotating vegetable options as well as Jojo potato wedges, macaroni salad, chips and more.  

At the moment, Hereford is going full steam ahead with lunch and dinner and isn’t offering breakfast or dessert, but said that dessert may happen eventually and that he will likely expand the menu in the future.  

Check out the slideshow below for more information about Chicken Scratch’s hours, location and food.