It was common for students from Empire Junior High School, located down the street, to stop by after school for a sauce-soaked paper bag of fries. While Scatter's clientele included notable celebrities, many regulars were from the Glenville area. Located at 931 East 105th Street in the heart of Glenville's lively strip, Scatter's Barbecue was known for its shoulder sandwiches, where the meat was so tender it would 'fall off the bone.' The restaurant's walls were covered with framed portraits of prominent African Americans of the day, many of whom Scatter befriended, such as Sugar Ray Robinson and Count Basie. It was not unusual to find his relatives, such as his mother, Emma Ricks, and aunt Nancy Stephens, in the restaurant assisting Scatter during the early years of the restaurant.

After his college years, his family assisted in opening Scatter's Barbecue in 1952.

He graduated from Central High School in 1938 and attended West Virginia State College. Herman 'Scatter' Stephens, born in Birmingham, Alabama on June 1, 1920, moved to Cleveland in 1934 with his family. Before Hot Sauce Williams and Beckham's B&M Bar-B-Que ruled the east side, Scatter's Barbecue was Glenville's home for ribs, shoulder sandwiches, and fries soaked in Scatter's notable barbecue sauce.

Scatter brain