RIPPLE/Karen Martin

Nate’s Place is open for business in downtown Yadkinville.

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Nate Jones is a young, energetic man with a mission in life and the desire to provide good, affordable food for the residents of Yadkinville.

Nate’s Place opened at 216 East Elm St. in Yadkinville on June 6 with the help of his parents.

Nate is a 19-year-old who started learning to cook short-order when he worked at the same location at Tammy’s Toasted Dogs.

Nate moves with efficiency and speed as he cleans his grill between orders and greets customers with a smile and respect when they pick up their order.

Nate’s menu offers burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, club sandwiches, and a few plates that include an 8-ounce hamburger steak, barbecue, tenders and wings. His prices range from $1.65 for a hot dog, $2.75 for a burger and $5.50 for a plate.

Nate’s also has 20 flavors of ice cream, which can be served as cones, cups, shakes, sundaes, floats and banana splits. There are also two sherbet choices.

A kids menu offers a choice of hot dog, corn dog, PB&J or grilled cheese with fries and drink.

Last Friday evening as residents and visitors gathered in downtown Yadkinville for the 3rd Arts on Main event, several of them made their way into Nate’s for a bite to eat.

“It has really good burgers and fries,” Thomas Neely from Winston-Salem said. “There aren’t many places where you can get a good southern burger with coleslaw and chili anymore. I wish the young man great success.”

The slaw Neely referred to is a homemade recipe of Nate’s that is mayonnaise based.

Just as Nate was caught up with orders and sat down to talk to this reporter, a call came in from his mom who had scooted off to Winston-Salem in search of ice-cream cones that were running low in anticipation of ice cream sales during the predicted coming heat wave.

“My mom and dad are helping me, and my sister-in-law is working here tonight for me,” Jones said. “My dad is Pastor Tim Jones of the Yadkin Church of God as well as a part-time Yadkinville police officer. My mother works at SCC after she home-schooled me and my brother through all 12 years of school.

“All my family has been a great source of support for me,” he said. “We’re closed during the day on Sunday for church, but we open at 8 p.m. on Sunday night for anyone who wants to come by for fellowship at Nate’s place.

“We’re closed on Wednesday evenings also,” he said. “I would very much like for the restaurant to be a place where ‘friends come to meet,’ as my logo says. My father and I came up with a mission statement for the business. ‘Nate Jones and his dad, Tim, want to invite you to come and join us in our new venture. This will be the journey of a 19-year-old who dares to follow his dream, and a dad who believes in his son’s ambitions and supports him in his dream. Come eat with Nate and help make a dream come true.’”

Nate’s Place is open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m on Monday and Tuesday, from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday night fellowship at Nate’s place is from 8 p.m. until. Call-in orders are accepted at 336-677-1287.