Randall Scot’s career in Grand Rapids’ restaurant business started at age 10, working in his parents’ restaurant. To launch OSKAR SCOTS diner in Caledonia, Randall needed all those years of experience to navigate a series of unfortunate events and come through with frying colors.
The journey started when he purchased Fortune Chef, a Chinese restaurant in Caledonia, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted his cooks to retire. Randall decided to rethink his restaurant. “My wife said, ‘Well, you’re a barbecue guy — why don’t you do something and build your own legacy?’ So OSKAR SCOTS was born.”
The name of the restaurant reflects that family vibe. OSKAR is an anagram that includes Randall’s son, Owen; his wife, Sonya; his daughters Kyla and Alexa; and Randall himself,
When the owners of OSKAR SCOTS original building sold to new corporate owners, Randall moved in June 2023 to the diner’s current location at 3555 68th St, SE #9 in Caledonia. He remodeled it and adorned it with colorful murals, many of which honor his family’s Indigenous connections. (“My wife and kids are Whitefish River First Nation, so they’re Ojibwe from the Manitoulin islands in Ontario.”)…