ESCANABA, Mich. (WJMN) – Located along Highway 41 on N Lincoln Road in Escanaba, this stop in our Restaurant of the Week series takes us to Drifter’s Family Restaurant.
Whether you live in Escanaba or decide to stop into town to spend some time near Lake Michigan this summer, Drifter’s has something for everyone with a menu offering items for each meal of the day.
“A lot of people do come in for the best breakfast in town,” Naeyaert said. “With summer coming up, we like to have a lot of fresh specials. My personal favorite would be the strawberry cashew salad, that’s a big summer special we’re going to have that’s a big hit. We are going to be having a lot of new sandwich specials as well.”
You can check out some of their items below:
Since the early 1990’s, Drifter’s has been a family-owned and operated, changing hands within the family along the way.
“Drifter’s has been in the Peterson family for over 30 years, since 1992,” said restaurant manager Gwendolyn Naeyaert. “But our two current owners purchased it in 2013 and they have been very lucky and they’ve worked very hard. We’ve had a great decade with them so far.”
A big part of Drifter’s success are their employees, who help make the dining experience pleasant thanks to a positive work culture at the restaurant.
“I started here as a hostess in 2017. I have had a great five years since then,” Naeyaert said. “I have been able to work my way up the chain and one of the main reasons I have been employed here for so long is because of the flexibility. Being a full-time student and having other full-time jobs that helps a lot. We work with great employees, a lot of other young students who are going through the same thing, and our bosses are very great at understanding that and they are willing to work around that.”
Now gearing up for the busy summer season, the staff is looking forward to continuing to spread that trademark positivity both to repeat customers and those visiting the area for the first time.
“We also know we have a lot of new business coming to the Escanaba area, especially with these cruise ships coming in,” Naeyaert said. “We are really looking forward to keep spreading our business, spread that small town feeling to these new people coming in. We really want to share the feeling of the Upper Peninsula with these new people coming in. My favorite thing about working here is probably the connections you are able to make with each person you run into. Whether you are greeting them at the door or serving them, you are able to make a difference in that person’s day and your own day.”
You can stop into Drifter’s seven days a week, open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. each day. They are located at 701 N Lincoln Rd in Escanaba.
“With tourist season picking up, we really expect to see, you know, the sun is out later, you’re out later,” Naeyaert said. “We’re definitely experiencing those later night rushes. People are out enjoying the beautiful weather and they want to be able to come in and have a bite to eat later on in the day. We really enjoy having that influx of people later in the day.”
You can stay up to date with all things Drifter’s by following them on Facebook.
