Burger Week: Skyway Drive-In
There are two true '50s style drive-in restaurants operating in our area...Swenson's, which we covered earlier this week, and Skyway, which opened in 1952 on West Market Street in Fairlawn at a time when that was truly “out in the country”. The two are very similar in terms of type of service and quality of food, and between them, make it very hard on the national burger chains.
Skyway was opened by the Large family, largely on the basis of a proprietary seasoning recipe for the ground beef used in its burgers. As with several other Akron-area restaurants that make the hamburger their core business product, how they prepare the meat prior to cooking is a closely guarded secret. My taste buds tell me there is a bit of sugar and salt, maybe a hint of garlic powder, and almost certainly some egg for binding in the Skyway version. Sue me if I'm wrong.
My favorite Skyway sandwich is the SkyHi double-decker, a burger that puts a certain chain store product, using a shortened version of my name, to shame. The SkyHi has more beef, a better homemade toasted bun, and a secret sauce that speaks of dill pickle and fresh mayonnaise. Toss on some shredded lettuce and a slice of American cheese, and it's a banquet on a bun.
Skyway also has a very good steak sandwich, and features chicken, fish, bar-b-que, and hot dogs for the kids. They offer the usual variety of deep-fried sides, including cheese-filled potato teasers, and one of the better homemade onion rings. That's what I always pick with my SkyHi.
From the fountain, there is the usual assortment of soft drinks, plus a California, and milk shakes, malts, and one of the few Boston Coolers (a scoop of ice cream floated in Vernor's, which is not ginger ale, by the way) I've found in Akron.
Skyway opened a second location in Green near the intersection of Arlington Road and Turkeyfoot Lake Road (Route 619) in 1997. Here is a link to their web site: