History of the Lake

Lakeview Restaurant has been a part of the Burke County community for many years, going as far back as to the 50's, when it was just a quaint little drive in type establishment ran by Mamie Odom. Dexter Drake Sr. purchased the restaurant in 1981 for his wife, Kathryne Drake. Kathryne ran the restaurant up until her passing in 1993. Mr. Drake, along with the help of some very dedicated people and his 2 children, Dexter Drake Jr (Russ) and Allison Drake (now Dailey), continued to run the restaurant. Up until Mr. Drake made the decision to rent it out and step away from the normal day to day operations in 2005. Mr. Drake's son, Dexter Drake Jr. (Russ), began managing the property in 2017.

Then in July 2019 something amazing happened. Russ and his wife, Erin Drake, welcomed into the world twin boys, Kody & Kole. It was then that Russ and Erin made the decision to take the restaurant back to being family owned and operated in hopes of leaving a legacy behind for their boys. Renovations began on November 1st 2019. Russ, with the help of his team, brought the restaurant into the 21st Century. It has been a long and grueling process but the time finally come to open the doors once again. (Interested in seeing some pictures of the renovations? Check out our Facebook page.)

We would like to take a moment to give a big THANK YOU to all those that have helped make this reopening possible and especially a big THANK YOU to the wonderful people of Waynesboro and Burke County! Everyone has been so patient and supportive and we cannot express how much we have appreciated it. Lakeview Restaurant has been near and dear to the hearts of many in the community and we know it holds fond memories. We hope that we can continue building more!