Scratch Public House — Restaurant in Proviso Township

Worst dining experience I've ever had. I wish to give zero stars if I could.

This establishment has two locations and a week ago we ordered from the Lake St. location, we got exactly what we ordered, the exact way we ordered it in the phone app. no issues, great food.

Yesterday we thought we would try their location on Madison St. as we only live blocks away.

We came in sat down and was basically ignored at first. Finally we were given menus. While perusing the menu I am also enjoying a conversation with the person I came in with to the point that when asked if we were ready to order, we were not so the wait staff attended to setting up the open mic for their Saturday night crowd. It was at this point we became totally ignored and dismissed until we had to tell them we were finally ready to order.

The wait staff then informed us it was time for a shift change, that only meant that now there was more then one person to ignore us at a time, because setting up the microphone is much more important then waiting on customers. When they were finally ready to take our order the first waiter that informed us of shift change was still waiting on us and taking our order down on a napkin while the wait staff that was supposed to be taking our order was still busy setting up the microphone.

It seems Saturday open mic night is a big thing with the staff at this establishment because that was their priority and not the customers. Two black women got up and left before they even ordered when they saw what was going on, we should have taken their lead and left with them.

While ordering I was informed that the cook could not make my hamburger medium rare and that it was a law that prevented them from cooking a medium rare beefburger in Forest Park.

I had ordered the exact same burger a week ago from their other location and it was one of the best burgers ever had, which is why I ordered it again.

What I got was a hockey puck burnt beyond recognition because they can only cook meat medium medium or medium well. Absolutely terrible.

My partner ordered pulled pork tacos, what she got was stinky old rotten pork over a bed of nachos with cheese and the called it a deconstructed taco... How cheep and misleading.

I will never and I mean never go to their Madison St....

My boyfriend and I had a very disappointing experience at Scratch Public House. When we walked in, the restaurant was nearly empty—only six patrons total, four of whom were seated at the bar. The bartender, who also seemed to be acting as the front-of-house staff, completely ignored us as we entered and sat at the bar. He continued a casual conversation with two other patrons without offering us menus or even acknowledging our presence.

After waiting patiently, I had to interrupt their conversation to request menus. The bartender seemed visibly irritated by the request. A few minutes later, he asked if we were ready to order, and I responded that we were still reviewing the menu and deciding whether to dine there or try another place nearby. Without a word, he took our menus from us and said, “When you decide, we’ll be here”—even though we were still actively looking at them.

That was the final straw. We left immediately and ended up at Rhythm & Blues down the street, where the staff was warm, welcoming, and accommodating. The food there was fantastic, and the atmosphere was everything Scratch lacked. Based on our experience, we won’t be returning to Scratch Public House and wouldn’t recommend it to others looking for friendly service and a welcoming...

My husband and I came to scratch on Saturday night to watch some of the college football games on. The atmosphere was perfect! There was a live musician, plenty of tvs and space available, it was busy but not too busy, and they had the projector on in the back with the game on! Brews were flowing and we had a great time. We also loved the LED lighting, it set the mood and looked great. The service was good and we enjoyed our time.

The only thing that could’ve made it better was the food. We ordered the cheese curds for an app, they were alright, nothing special. My husband ordered the fish and chips it was fine, the fish had too much breading for the size of the portions and it was served on a bed of lettuce which was strange and not needed. I had the Buffalo Mac and cheese and was really excited for it since I remembered this place is known for their Mac and cheese. It was different than I expected, the sauce was way too thin, more like a soup with pasta in it. It also came with slices of chicken breast, that were not really enjoyable, would’ve been better with fried chicken pieces or no chicken at all. We did have a pumpkin cheesecake that was AMAZING - I would go back for that alone. Thinking we will order differently next time and give this spot...