Coastal-inspired restaurant Ditch to replace Relish diner in Kings Park

Having spent summers watching surfers ride the waves of Ditch Plains, Tracy Smith knew he wanted to blend Southern California with the Hamptons when he opened his own restaurant.

On Wednesday, he was working to solidify plans to open the latest location of his Baja-influenced restaurant, Ditch, in the Kings Park space once occupied by community staple Relish.

"For Kings Park, the big draw was ... being on a main street," Smith said in a phone interview. "And truthfully it was just the growth. I mean, the traffic that comes down here is just so massive."

Smith said he also liked the idea that Relish was a brunch spot, as he looks to expand the Ditch menu to include breakfast options.

"We're not going to change the lunch and the dinner menu too dramatically from what we already do," Smith said. "But, we're definitely going to be bringing kind of that brunch aspect into the brand, and I want to bring that across all of my locations."

In 2023, Smith opened the first Ditch location in Bay Shore. Later, he opened a Port Jefferson location.

This week, Smith met with the Town of Smithtown Planning Department to discuss making modifications to the restaurant, according to the planning department. Smith is projecting a mid-November opening, but has not yet submitted plans. 

Whether the restaurant is ready to open next month depends on how quickly Smith is able to submit revised plans, the department said.  

For now, the building has a black and gray exterior. If the planning department allows, Smith said he plans to paint the restaurant green and off-white — a color scheme he said was similar to the one used for the Port Jefferson restaurant. 

"We've been working on painting some stuff inside, and getting the interior ready," Smith said. "We ripped apart the kitchen, cleaned up the kitchen, and did a bunch of other things."

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.