Gray Fox Kitchen & Cocktails brings upscale dining and drinks to the Morgantown Area.
photographed by NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS
Stepping inside the newly renovated space at 2232 Cheat Road in Morgantown, it’s hard to believe the modern, sleekly designed restaurant once housed Ruby and Ketchy’s diner. While locals mourned the loss of the hometown diner, which closed in July 2024 after 66 years in business, they have something fun to look forward to at Gray Fox Kitchen & Cocktails.
Specializing in wood-fired steaks—Australian and American Wagyu when available, seafood—walleye and Allegheny Mountain trout when available, fine wines, and handcrafted cocktails, Gray Fox is owned and operated by Chris Fox. His wife, Kimberly Fox, is the bar manager and lead server. The Fox family are no strangers to the restaurant business—Fox and his younger brother Andrew co-founded Fox Boys Hospitality Group in 2002, with their first venture being Sly Fox Pub in Annapolis, Maryland. This marks Fox’s seventh restaurant venture.
Originally from Annapolis, Fox met Kimberly while they were both living in Texas. After having their daughter, Noelle, they decided they wanted to move east, somewhere closer to Fox’s larger family network. They landed at Cheat Lake, where he soon found work at The Lake House. While he didn’t anticipate opening a restaurant in West Virginia so soon after their move, he considered the former Ruby and Ketchy’s space “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that he just couldn’t pass up.
Fox understood the nostalgia for the diner, but, he says, “it would be very difficult to pay the new mortgage as a breakfast diner, so it just makes a lot more sense financially to do a more modern restaurant.” After exploring the local market, he saw that he could carve out a niche for wood-fired food and elevated cocktails. “We’ve developed our menu based on long-time customer feedback, plus, it’s not set in stone,” he says. “We change things up based on what’s available, and we will also change our menu based on what our regular clientele is looking for.”
Officially opened on April 7, the new Cheat Lake space welcomes guests inside with the words “Eat, Drink, Socialize” drawn on the wall overhead. Tables and booths are found to the right, and a full-length bar and high-top dining are offered to the left. Throughout the restaurant, art featuring foxes adorns the walls, paying homage to the family name. Guests can oftentimes find the Fox couple bartending, Cocktailsserving, and cooking alongside their staff. “In all, I’ve worked in restaurants for 32 years,” Fox says. “I’ve been bartending for 30 years, with craft cocktail experience for 20 years.”
So far, customer favorites include the Brussels sprouts starter, deep fried with hot honey and goat cheese; the Jam Smashburger, a patty served with bourbon bacon jam and homemade mac ’n’ cheese sauce; and the Angels ’n Demons cocktail, served “up” in a coupe glass as a modern, cilantro- and habanero-infused spin on the classic margarita. Gray Fox emphasizes local options when possible, like Mal’s Fresh Produce for the tomatoes in its Burrata salad and West Virginia Swilled Dog gin and local honey for the Bee’s Knees cocktail.
Gray Fox offers a kids’ menu and carryout options. If you have dietary restrictions, just let your server know, and the culinary team will do their best to make accommodations. Follow Gray Fox Kitchen & Cocktails on Facebook to stay up to date with its latest culinary creations and handcrafted cocktails.
2232 Cheat Road, grayfoxkc.com, “Gray Fox Kitchen & Cocktails” on FB
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