Waterfront Restaurant and Marina to Open on Lake Wylie in Gaston County

The two-story restaurant, called Drift, will offer seafood, an unobstructed view of the lake, local craft beer and a variety of wines, said Jeff Conway, one of the owners of Charlotte Prime, the company that will run operations for Drift.

Drift will be located near the Morningstar Marina in the McLean development, Conway said. The 15,000 square foot building is currently under construction, but Charlotte Prime aims to have the restaurant open by late April.

"There's still work to be done on the inside, but we're getting there. They're still putting some siding on the exterior of the building, but doors and windows, that kind of stuff is in place," Conway said.

The menu will include fresh seafood, steaks, and pasta, as well as craft beer from local breweries and a broad wine selection.

"I'm interested to roll out the lobster cakes, that'll be a signature item. And then we'll have pastas and a nice selection of steaks and other chops. We're trying to have a very broad appeal," Conway said.

Conway said that Close, Mosier and Henry felt that Lake Wylie needed a nice restaurant, "a little more elevated experience, the way the west side of Lake Wylie is developing."

"You know, Gaston County is growing. It's time for a nice, lakefront dining experience. There will be boat slips available for people that want to come by boat. I think the majority of our guests will come of course by car. More than anything, I just want it to be really nice, but really comfortable, too," he said. "I don't want to make it sound too elevated. That's why I'm saying 'comfortable.' But it's going to be nice. We're going to have elevated service standards. You know, the servers will be in black slacks and white pressed shirts, the kind of place where they offer you ground pepper with your entrees. … We're not going to price it so that it's out of reach for a nice date night for a Wednesday or Thursday night."

You can email Kara Fohner at KFohner@Gannett.com.