On a recent afternoon, 16-year-old Gage Klein took orders, cooked food and ran the register at his newest restaurant, Driftwood at the Fairgrounds, in West York.
The eatery at 1277 W. Market St. sells burgers, cheesesteaks, subs, hand-cut fries and other menu items. It’s his second location. He opened Driftwood at the Lake in the Lake Meade community in Adams County more than a year ago. Both are part of a restaurant group built by the family.
Klein said he and his father, Kris, who helps with the business, wanted to expand outside of the Lake Meade community to draw in more customers. They looked at potential locations, including Hanover and East Berlin, and found a small place, the former site of Steak Out, in West York.
Klein, who will be a junior at Commonwealth Charter Academy this year, said he’s always had a passion for cooking. His mother, Stacey, often made pasta for dinner, and one day, he asked if he could make the sauce. She allowed him to do it and remarked that it was better than hers. The two started preparing more meals together. Over time, the teen has created a variety of dishes, including deviled eggs, boneless wings and traditional fettuccine Alfredo.
The teen is proud of a grilled cheese pizza that he crafted one day when he was bored. It’s a pie topped with pieces of a grilled cheese sandwich, and Klein said it’s one of his favorites. It’s on the menu in the winter at the Lake Meade eatery when it sells tomato soup. Only one customer has ordered the specialty pizza so far, but that customer called it “a great pizza.”
Klein, who lives in West Manchester Township, said he hopes to attend a culinary school after graduation from high school because he still has much to learn about cooking. He also expressed an interest in traveling to countries such as Italy and Germany to experience food prepared in its country of origin.
Most of the food orders come through DoorDash, but several customers dropped in on a recent afternoon to order meals. Gina Henderson said her mother, Beverly, saw the teen interviewed on television news about his new restaurant, and “his desire to do something like this — twice — is just amazing.”
Beverly Henderson added that she is proud of him and hopes that he is successful.
The restaurants have other employees to help run the eateries, especially during the school year. Klein said his friends sometimes patronize the restaurants. Some are disappointed when he doesn’t have time to play video games because of his work.
One of the restaurant’s specialties is The Driftwood Stack, which the father and son created. It’s made of two smash patties, four slices of American cheese, two slices of bacon, three onion rings, pickles, lettuce and tomato. It’s topped with a secret sauce.
Kris Klein said the restaurant has been receiving favorable reviews, and some of the customers are traveling from southern York County to patronize the business. His son wanted to price the menu items so a family could have a better quality meal for a reasonable cost.
Kris Klein said he currently has the majority ownership in the restaurant group so he can sign legal documents for the business, but that will change when his son turns 18. Gage Klein, who operates the restaurants now, has plans to keep opening more places.
“He’s definitely a one of a kind kid,” Kris Klein said.
Driftwood At The Fairgrounds is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
