Skyway Drive-In has a long and glorious history in Fairlawn.
Unfortunately, I’ve rarely been a witness to it. I think I’ve dined there only two or three times in my life.
You see, I grew up going to Swensons . It was one of my teen hangouts on North Hill and I later frequented the original Wallhaven location when I lived down the street. I didn’t have anything against Skyway. I just didn’t go.
I don’t know how many times I’ve driven past that big blue sign with the red and white letters. For the first time in decades, though, I pulled in.
My wife, Susie, a Parma native who has no allegiance to Skyway or Swensons, joined me on a Sunday cruise to 2781 W. Market St. at Fairlawn Town Centre.
Skyway Drive-In began in 1952
This was the rural countryside in 1952 when Ross Large co-founded the drive-in with his sister-in-law Ruth Schaaf. It became famous for its speedy carhops, juicy burgers, hand-cut onion rings and thick milkshakes.
During the 1960s and 1970s, as many as 1,000 cars a night cruised the Skyway. Teens showed off their vehicles while waiting for a parking spot.
After Large passed away in 1971, his sons Jack and Bud ran the business, and they eventually turned it over to Jack’s son, Jerry, who later partnered with his cousin Steve in the mid-1980s.
Now the sole owner, Steve Large pledges to serve “the most delicious original fare” just as his grandfather did. He’s still using many of Aunt Ruth’s original recipes, including the onion rings, chili and soup.
There’s also a Skyway franchise outlet that opened in 1997 at 951 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road in Green (330-896-9350).
Over the decades, the drive-in’s famous customers have included Cavaliers stars Brad Daugherty and Craig Ehlo, Browns quarterback Brian Sipe, disco queen Donna Summer and members of The Pretenders, Devo and Heart. Singer Jimmy Buffett always ordered cheeseburgers by the dozen — enough for his entire crew — when he played at Blossom Music Center.
Now it was our turn.
Susie and I rolled up to the brick building with the green awning and turned on our headlights for service. Nearly 20 other vehicles were already parked. Our speedy server Dave, wearing a fluorescent green T-shirt, raced over to give us a menu.
“They’ve got a lot of selections,” Susie said as we scanned the sheet.
What’s on the menu at Skyway?
Customers can order a variety of single, double or triple hamburgers and cheeseburgers — separately or in baskets or combos with sides — and there’s even a veggie option. Other sandwiches include chicken, ham, turkey, steak, fish, toasted cheese, BLT, hot dogs and chili dogs.
For sides, there are fries, sauerkraut balls, fried mushrooms, spicy mac and cheese bites, coleslaw, veggie bags and Aunt Ruth’s Famous Homemade Onion Rings. Other fare includes shrimp dinners, fish dinners, salads, soup and chili.
A children’s menu ($7.95) offers a junior hamburger, junior cheeseburger, toasted cheese, hot dog or chicken nuggets plus fries and a 16-ounce drink. “Peek in the bag for a surprise!”
From the fountain, classic milkshakes such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and cherry cost $4.35 while specialty milkshakes like orange, grape, root beer, butterscotch, peanut butter, hot fudge, Oreo, jamocha and coffee cost $4.75.
We turned on our headlights and Dave came running. He must have been peeking through the door. We learned that service here is very attentive.
For dinner, I ordered a Sky Scraper Burger ($8.75), a double-decker sandwich with two quarter-pound beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, pickles and Sky-Hi sauce. I selected sauerkraut balls ($4.10) as a side and a butterscotch milkshake ($4.75) for my beverage.
Susie ordered the ’52 Combo ($12.65), which features Skyway’s signature Sky-Hi Sandwich (a double-decker quarter pound of beef, American cheese, pickles and Sky-Hi sauce), onion rings and a creamy shake (Susie chose the coffee flavor).
Before long, Dave hurried out with our meals on an aluminum tray and placed it on the driver’s side window.
First bites at Skyway
After we sorted our food in the front seat, we decided what to eat first. I reached for the bag of sauerkraut balls, six in all, and accidentally dropped one on the center console, where it rolled a half-foot.
The five-second rule applies to drive-ins, right? I popped the deep-fried morsel into my mouth, sinking my teeth into the crunchy exterior and relishing the soft, savory center with bits of ham. Very nice.
Meanwhile, Susie started on Aunt Ruth’s onion rings, six in all.
“I like the coating a lot,” she said.
The golden breading flaked off the sweet onions, and Susie joked that we would have to vacuum the front seat when we were done.
“We’re going to find reminders of Aunt Ruth all over the car,” Susie said.
We sampled each other’s side dishes and agreed that both were yummy.
Sky-Hi and Sky Scraper
Bring on the burgers! We unfolded the insulated foil wraps and went to town.
“That’s a lot of meat, huh?” Susie said before biting into her Sky-Hi Sandwich. “It’s very good.”
The Sky Scraper Burger was a real mouthful, too. Very juicy, very tasty, very messy. I reached for more napkins.
Served on a toasted bun with toppings spilling out the side, the double cheeseburger was sweet, gooey and delicious.
“Do you like the special sauce?” Susie asked before looking over to see that I was licking it off the wrapper.
“What gave it away?” I laughed.
We both thought the Sky-Hi sauce, a mayonnaise-based condiment with chopped onions and dill pickles, took the burgers to the next level. We were tempted to ask for more.
“I like the sauce a lot,” Susie said.
Our milkshakes, served in 16-ounce plastic foam cups, were velvety smooth and refreshing on a 92-degree day. It was a real treat to try such exotic flavors as butterscotch and coffee. I loudly slurped the last drops through a straw.
Finally, it was time to leave. We turned on our headlights.
Dave came scampering to the car to collect the tray. With tax, our bill came to $32.29, not including tip. As we pulled away, the big blue sign grew smaller in our rearview mirror.
Our final thoughts
It’s official: This Swensons fan liked Skyway.
I’m not going to tell you that I’m forever changing allegiances, but I will say that Skyway is a great drive-in with good food and I understand why it has such a loyal following. Others should give it a try.
“I would definitely eat there again,” Susie said.
Yes, me, too. And the next time, it won’t take me decades to go.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
Details
Restaurant: Skyway Drive-In
Address: 2781 W. Market St., Fairlawn
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
More info: https://skywayrestaurants.net/ and 330-836-2806
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: A Swensons fan tries Skyway: Bring on the burgers! | Local Flavor
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