New look, new concept, new downtown living. Scranton’s unveils a COVID comeback plan.
Scranton’s Restaurant and Catering in downtown Pascagoula has known adversity — and this time the Chenoweth family is using it to their advantage.
“We’ve been hit by lightning three times,” said Richard Chenoweth, who 38 years ago bought the property at 623 Delmas Ave. The 1924 building was hit by a tornado and was flooded during Hurricane Katrina.
Downtown Pascagoula was called Scranton until 1912 and the building that began life as a combination city hall, police department, fire department and court withstood each disaster.
“It’s got a good, solid character,” he said.
The latest challenge is the coronavirus. The dining room closed in March because of COVID-19 and in June, when restaurants were allowed to be open but with limited occupancy, the business shut down except for catering.
“With chaos comes opportunity,” Chenoweth said. He’s using a coronavirus loan and this down time to make renovations he’s wanted to do for years but couldn’t while the restaurant was full of customers.
The menu favorites and the history remain while Scranton’s becomes a fast casual restaurant and adds a marketplace and downtown living.
Restaurant marketplace
Scranton’s theme of “casual dining in an historical atmosphere,” will change when the restaurant reopens in September to “Come for lunch. Leave with dinner.”
Customers will place their order at a new counter and their food will be brought to the table. Or they can select to-go dishes from the display cases filled with basically the same entrees, soups, salads and desserts.
“It will be Scranton’s signature items,” said Amy Chenoweth, events specialist, such as their signature shrimp and grits, shrimp and pasta salad and fajita spiral. Their own salad dressings will be bottled to go and their favorite soups like she crab soup, loaded potato and roasted red pepper gouda will be ready for heat and eat just as cooler weather returns..
Hot crab dip and other specialties normally available only for catered events will be available in the case, she said, along with their famed 4-layer chocolate desert and bread pudding.
They will continue to have a full bar, and since the restaurant is in an entertainment district, four new daiquiri barrels will supply a variety of drinks to sip there or to go.
Downtown living
Four upstairs apartments with soaring 14-foot ceilings are being created in what was the events space above the restaurant. The lofts will be ready by next spring.
The one-bedroom apartments will range from 700 to 900 square feet, and the front two will open to the balcony overlooking the street. One of the two apartments at the rear of the building also will have a balcony.
Like the rest of the building, the original rock maple floors, brick walls, windows and trim will remain, and the apartments will get modern kitchens and baths.
“A downtown location is a desirable neighborhood right off the bat,” Richard Chenoweth said. It has uniqueness, commerce, walkability and a police presence, he said. This type of lodging could appeal to locals working at the newly-opened and nearby East Bank facility at Ingalls Shipbuilding or interns at Chevron Pascagoula, the family said.
In a “chicken and egg” scenario, he said Pascagoula has been trying for years to have businesses on the main streets that would attract people to live downtown.
That hasn’t worked so now the focus is to create downtown lofts and attract businesses, he said. If all the plans go forward to build apartments in the old Hancock Bank building, the Odd Fellows and other locations, “there could be 38 apartments downtown by next December,” he said.
Building amenities and a positive image for Pascagoula is a partnership, he said, between the Jackson County Chamber, Economic Development Foundation, Pascagoula Main Street, local and state politicians and business leaders.
“They’re all coming together to really focus on the redevelopment of the downtown and Market Street,” he said.
Remodeled and refreshed
The foot-thick brick walls, stained glass and wood wainscoting at Scranton’s are staying to maintain the original character of the building. The authentic tin ceiling that was stamped and installed 30 years ago also remains along with the historic pictures and funny art.
Renovations to the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will restore the second story balcony to its original appearance along with the arch above it.
What’s new are plans for a New Orleans-style alley to the west of the building that Chenoweth said will add outdoor dining while maintaining the historic exterior of the building. The dining room now has places to plug in computers, new floors and restrooms.
One of the most distinctive features at Scranton’s is ready for the restaurant’s return. Not many restaurants can boast a walk-in vault in the dining room, and the heavy door on this massive safe that once protected receipts at city hall was restored in place by Coast Collision in Pascagoula.
“It was pretty rough,” Ray Parrish, owner of the body shop, said of the condition of the swinging door. “That paint was 100 years old,” he said, and he’d be willing to bet the building was constructed around that vault. The combination lock also was buffed and restored by the company’s painter, Chad Thomas.
Chenoweth provides regular updates on the progress of the renovation on Facebook and said people are stopping by to see the changes.
“We’ve definitely got people talking,” he said.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
