Why Are People Going Crazy Over Swensons Drive-In?

Back in late 2017, you probably heard the rumors: Northeast Ohio’s favorite burger joint, Swensons Drive-In, might be headed to Columbus.

Of course, it was a rumor that had been whispered before, but that time, something actually came of it. The question I found myself asking is not when or where, but rather why? Why are people so excited about another place to eat cheap burgers?

That’s when I discovered “Swenatics”. Apparently, people don’t just casually enjoy Swensons Drive-In, they are hardcore fans. Swenatics were even invited to share their favorite memories from the restaurant on the company’s website.

Swensons first opened all the way back in 1934, so it’s got generations of fans raving about its cuisine. The drive-in serves everything from it’s famous Galley Boy Burger to Sloppy Joes. In 2017, the only thing on the menu that cost more than $6 was the dinner section, where the meals were a whopping $6.95.

But it’s not just the low prices that have people raving about this place, it’s the quality of their food and service and the memories people make there.

On the aforementioned Swenatics section on the Swensons website, you’ll find stories of love, friendship, and family bonding that can make any reasonable person see why fans keep coming back for more.

Swenatic Paul Battenberg writes:

“I was a Swensons curb boy in the summer of 1953 before I went away to college. As I went up to a car window to take an order, I looked in and in the center seat was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I knew the girl sitting to her right, so I passed her a note asking her name. I was given her name and phone number, so I called her and made a date. We dated all summer long before I left for the University of Oklahoma in late August. We saw each other many times over the next 4 years, but never dated seriously due to the distance problem. I always wondered where she went, and one day recently I was able to contact her and we reacquainted after 51 years, and we married on April 18, 2010.”

I mean come on. That’s straight out of a movie, right? And it’s not just Battenberg either.

If it’s good enough for Lebron James, it’s good enough for me.

The proposed location for the Swensons Drive-In was on Sawmill Road, at the site of the old First Merit Corp. Bank. According to Columbus Business First, there were still a few hurdles at the time in locking down this spot for burger goodness. Swensons opened there, at 7490 Sawmill Road in Dublin, on November 9, 2018, and now runs several Columbus-area drive-ins.

Here’s hoping the rumors are true because now I’m craving a burger I’ve never even had before.

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