Hometown Eats: Scrambled

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Finding the perfect breakfast spot is all about routine and for some, that even means waiting until their regular stool to open.

We’ll explain why they keep coming back to Scrambled in downtown Roanoke for this week’s Hometown Eats!

“I call it a diner, some people call it a restaurant, in the heart of downtown Roanoke,” said Scrambled owner Garry Fleming.

Whatever you call it, people have been starting their day here for more than a decade. Welcome to Scrambled, sitting on the corner of the City Market Building in downtown Roanoke.

“This came up, not overnight but almost. If somebody would’ve told me that in 2013, I would’ve told them they were crazy,” said Fleming.

A former economics professor at Roanoke College, Garry Fleming knew nothing about running a restaurant when they opened in 2014, but with his wife Susan and daughter Mandy by his side, he would learn along the way.

“Truly a family business. It’s a mom and pop and daughter family business,” said Fleming.

And Garry has picked up tricks through the years, like high-tech ways out of town customers are now finding Scrambled.

“We went into ChatGBT? See I don’t know any of that stuff and they said to Chat whatever, where is the best breakfast restaurant in Roanoke and it said Scrambled. So, it’s even in that crazy world of AI or whatever it’s called,” joked Fleming.

Nothing artificial here, Garry has even gained intelligence behind the bar.

“I get a lot of enjoyment by working at the bar. That’s when you really get to talk to people so that’s been good for me because I retired in 2021 from the college so I’m still working and working with the family is even better,” said Fleming.

But Garry knows exactly where to give credit.

“My job is pretty much financial, Susan and Mandy’s job is like everything else, human resource management, operations, all that hard stuff. My stuff is easy stuff. I just count money, which I’d like to count more but I’m the bean counter,” said Fleming.

And since a restaurant is only as good as the staff, Garry is proud of the group they’ve built.

“If you’re enthusiastic about what you’re doing its sort of contagious. It’s contagious with the staff, it’s contagious in the kitchen and because our kitchen staff doesn’t change our food is consistent. Kevin is an absolute monster in the kitchen. I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how Kevin does it, I don’t know how Ryan does it, how they can keep up with everything,” said Fleming.

The menu hasn’t changed much in 12 years, but you know what they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“The Star City Scramble, the French Toast, the pancakes, the country ham and all the bacon and the biscuits and all that has been from the get-go. The newest things that we didn’t have in the beginning are the skillets and the sliders,” said Fleming.

“We sell those like crazy. We run out of skillets back there and we have to go out and get people who are finished and say can I take that skillet back and put it in the dishwasher.”

While they have plenty travelers dropping by for a bite, much of their business is repeat.

“We have people that come in and we start talking to them when they come through the door and say hey how’s it going. People who are at the bar that are new are like what the heck is going on here,” said Fleming.

And Garry knows that kind of hospitality is what makes the long days worth it.

“You’re really tired at the end of the day,” said Fleming. He continued, “But when you’re here and talking to people and doing stuff you realize two or three hours has passed and you’re like where did the time go!”

Scrambled, a hometown eat that’s a cornerstone of the Star City.

Scrambled is located at 32 Market Square SE, Roanoke, VA 24011 and is open Tuesday through Saturday 7am to 2pm, Sunday 8am to 2pm.