Swensons Food Truck

Akron festivals, private events
330-928-0524

Walk up to the window at Swensons Food Truck to order a tasty milkshake and signature Galley Boy burger — a double cheeseburger with a combo sauce of mayo and barbeque, otherwise known as Swen WHITE and Swen RED, and an olive pick through the top of the bun.

You can’t miss the burger. Because a massive picture of it stretches across the outside of the food truck.

For Akron native Chase Harbaugh, the events coordinator at Swensons Drive-in Restaurants, it’s a toss up between the Galley Boy and the double cheeseburger with an extra slice of cheese. He likes to pair the burgers with potato teezers and a side of ranch dressing.

“I originally started curb serving. It’s just been my go to because I grew up on Swensons,” he said.

Serving Akron residents and beyond

You can find this Akron staple, which has been hitting the road since 2013, at festivals in Cleveland and Akron and at Akron Children’s Hospital for its monthly popup. You can also book the truck for a private event. 

The food truck birthed out of the brick and mortar locations throughout Akron, with the first drive-in restaurant opening on South Hawkins Avenue in Wallhaven in 1934. Since then, fixed locations have opened in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati and beyond. 

Customers flock to the Swenson's Food Truck, which was selected as the best food truck in Signal Akron's Best of the City competition.
Customers flock to the Swenson’s Food Truck, which was selected as the best food truck in Signal Akron’s Best of the City competition. (Photo courtesy of Swensons)

If you’re into Friday night football or are just craving one of its burgers, the food truck is parked at Revere High School at 3420 Everett Road in Akron during home games.

Plus, there is fun to be had. 

On a recent Friday night, students played “Are you faster than a curb server” with staff, to see if they could get their trays of food served faster than it took a curb server to bring food to a car at one of the drive-in restaurants. 

Racers dashed to the finish line trying to keep their tray steady so their burger and fries didn’t fall off. Harbaugh is undefeated. 

“They usually try to beat me. It’s always a fun time.”  

Signal background

A menu for on-the-go eaters 

The menu is leaner than ones at the drive-in restaurants, but most of the milkshake flavors are available. Other items include cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers, the Galley Boy and the potato teezers.

“We’ve got milkshakes like the chocolate peanut butter banana,” Harbaugh said. “So, it’s pretty much everything that’s at the stand minus the zucchini and the half-pound burger.”

Those wanting a burger on the go can track down the food truck via updates posted on Instagram.

2nd Place

Johnny Lóte’s Latin Street Corn (2024 2nd-place winner)

See schedule here.

Victor Lopez wraps up a chorizo burrito while cooking it on the grill of the El Patron food truck.
Victor Lopez wraps up a chorizo burrito while cooking it on the grill of the El Patron food truck June 25, 2024. The truck was serving lunch in the Walgreens parking lot in the Highland Square neighborhood. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

3rd Place 

El Patrón (2024 1st-place winner)

See schedule here.

Contributing Reporter
Kelly Krabill is a contributing reporter for Signal Akron. She worked as a multimedia journalist at Ideastream Public Media for two years and continues there on a part-time basis. Her work was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club.
Kelly returned to college in 2020 to pursue her dream of working as a visual journalist after spending 12 years in the health insurance industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Kent State University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from Youngstown State University and an associate degree in photography from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
Kelly is also an artist and an entrepreneur — she spends time painting and selling her artwork in the community.