Gage Klein, a 16-year-old student from York County, Pennsylvania, has opened his second restaurant. According to AOL, Driftwood at the Fairgrounds, located at 1277 W. Market St. in West York, serves burgers, cheesesteaks, subs, hand-cut fries, wings and other items.
This is the second Driftwood restaurant. The first, Driftwood at the Lake, opened more than a year ago in the Lake Meade community in Adams County.
Klein said he got his inspiration from his mother, who taught him to cook at a young age.
“My mom taught me how to cook. When I was younger, I was in the kitchen all the time. And my dad is really creative,” Klein said.
Klein said he always wanted to be a chef and couldn’t ignore the idea of starting his own restaurant. After talking with his parents, they worked together to help make his vision a reality.
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“My dad had a few doubts in the beginning. Obviously, I was still learning. But after a while, he kind of grew into it,” Klein said.
Klein and his father opened Driftwood at the Lake in East Berlin over the Fourth of July weekend last year. He said cheesesteaks are particularly popular at his restaurants, along with burgers and fries.
“A lot of people get cheesesteaks. But our most popular is our burgers and our fries. A lot of people said they like our fries,” Klein said.
He also mentioned some of the challenges that come with running a business, including occasionally working by himself and commuting to his other restaurant in East Berlin.
“Responsibility. Remembering that you have to act like an adult and to just be smart with certain decisions,” Klein said.
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Klein said support from the community motivates him to continue growing Driftwood and eventually opening more locations.
“I’m proud to say that I own it and say I can serve people. It makes me really happy,” Klein said.
Klein also said he plans to attend culinary school after graduation and hopes to open his third Driftwood location in Hanover soon. He has also expressed an interest in traveling to countries including Italy and Germany so he can experience food prepared in its country of origin.
Gage Klein’s father, Kris Klein, said the restaurant has been receiving favorable reviews. Some customers are also traveling from southern York County to visit the West York location.
At present, Kris Klein holds the majority ownership of the restaurant group so he can sign legal documents for the business. That arrangement will change when Gage turns 18.