Steffens Restaurant- A Trip Back in Time

Kingsland diner dates to 1948

By Cheré Coen

It all began in 1948 along U.S. Highway 17 that runs from Maine to Miami. Folks traveling north from Florida would pause four miles over the Georgia line at Steffens Restaurant (550 South Lee Street, Kingsland) in Kingsland or on their way south to the Sunshine State. At first, Steffens sold burgers and hot dogs, said current owner Kris Cagle, and then became known for their donuts. Over time, the roadside diner served a variety of down-home Southern cooking, such as made-from-scratch biscuits and chicken and dumplings.

Traffic was heavy along this stretch of highway and Steffens did a robust business.

Rumor had it that even Elvis Presley ate there!

Interstate 95 has since become the transit of choice of travelers heading up and down the East Coast but people still flock to Steffens for its nostalgic ambience and great cooking.

For Cagle, the recent owner, it all began with flipping houses.

Cagle’s love for cooking began with his Brazilian grandmother. Cagle’s mother sometimes worked late so a young Cagle would cook dinner for his family with his grandmother’s help. After graduating college, the Massachusetts native worked in food service at Boston University’s business school.

 When his mother moved to Kingsland to flip houses, Cagle followed.  

“There were two houses about a mile apart,” Cagle remembered about the homes they renovated. “Steffens was in the middle. We ate at Steffens every day.”

Cagle’s mother loved the restaurant so much she put in an offer, which the owners accepted. Cagle helped with its management. Later, when Cagle’s sister began having children and his mom wanted to become a full-time grandmother, Cagle took over ownership with help from his wife, Dana.

He started with the menu, evaluating every item, looking at where he could switch out frozen food products for fresh and where to make in-house dishes.

“That’s what I started with,” he said. “I wanted to do the best job possible.”

Cagle hired former chefs and let them be innovative, but he maintained the menu staples that visitors have come to know and love, items such as hamburger steak, meatloaf, fried chicken, and pork chops.

Cagle’s favorite dish—perhaps due to his northeast background—is the Philly cheese steak sandwich, which may sound like a dish more apropos to, well, Philadelphia! But recently the Philly cheese steak is battling it out with the Italian sub as the most popular lunch item.

Steffens offers a daily menu, as well.

“Monday is beef stew, Tuesday is meatloaf, Friday night is a big night for seafood and Sunday is turkey and dressing,” said Cagle, adding that other nights have specials too.

And let’s not forget dessert. The counter that resembles something from “It’s a Wonderful Life” serves up hard ice cream shakes and malts made from an old-fashioned shake machine.

“And we have a banana split that is huge,” Cagle added.

The food alone is the reason to visit Steffens but the ambience adds to the fun. The walls are filled with old photos of the restaurant and Kingsland and the table tops advertise a variety of Kingsland businesses.

“Part of what is Steffens is the building itself,” Cagle said. “It’s an old meat and three, Southern diner that doesn’t exist anymore. Every day we lose one of these and Steffens is still going strong.”

And it all comes down to family and staff, he added. Some staff members have been working at the restaurant for almost 40 years.

“We have a super talented group of people,” Cagle concluded. “Everything is made with love and the staff is part of the family. We want you to feel like family when you come in the door.”

Steffens is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Click here to view a podcast featuring Kris and Dana Cagle, recorded by the Camden County Chamber of Commerce.