Drive-ins, which were also called “carhops,” predated the drive-through. People parked, ordered from their car, and ate inside their automobile.
“The popularity of carhop dining evolved in America in tandem with the popularity of the automobile itself, predating the fast-food drive-through and reaching a peak in the years following World War II,” CNN reported.
Drive-ins had a brief resurgence during the Covid pandemic, when many restaurants had to close their dining rooms, but the format has been in a general decline for decades.
“It was when McDonald’s opened its first take-out window in Arizona in 1975 that the real crossover occurred. By that time, drive-in restaurants were already few and far between. By early 2020, they were virtually obsolete,” according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Now, another drive-in icon, Skyway Drive-In Restaurant, has quietly closed its final location.
Skyway Drive-In Restaurant shuts its doors
Skyway Drive-in Restaurants has a long history in Ohio.
“It all started In 1952, when the Large and Schaaf families founded Skyway Drive-In Restaurant in Fairlawn. We continue to make our sandwiches with pride, using custom-prepared beef and the best sweet bun in Akron,” the company shared on its website.
The chain used original recipes created by “Aunt” Ruth Schaaf, and Skyway’s homemade onion rings, chili, and vegetable soup are made the same way they have been since they were first served.
“Our creamy milkshakes are made with real dairy, just like they were in 1952,” Skyway added.
Now, the chain’s final location has closed its doors.
“After nearly 75 years in business, the remaining Skyway Drive-In location in Fairlawn has officially closed. With the previous closures of the Green, Stow, and Medina locations, the burger restaurant is now extinct,” reported the Akron Beacon Journal.
The restaurant’s owners confirmed the shutdown plans on their Facebook page.
“What began in 1952 with Pop Ross’s dream and hard work grew into something truly special,” Skyway said in a July 11 post. “…Pop Ross and Aunt Ruth built more than a business. They built a legacy founded on hard work, quality, and treating every customer like family. That legacy was lovingly passed from one generation to the next, each carrying forward the same pride, dedication, and commitment to serving the community.”
Owner Steve Large closed the post with a message to the community.
“Some places feed a town. Others become part of its history. Skyway did both. Our doors may close, but our legacy never will,” he wrote.
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Fans mourn Skyway’s closure
Over 850 people responded to the post about Skyway’s closure on its Facebook page.
“Please make a cookbook so we can carry on the flavors of those burgers and the best onion rings in our homes,” Rebecca Younis shared.
Some shared their memories of the chain.
“My heart is breaking is so many places I may never have the time to pick up all of the pieces. My Mom grew up with the original owners and went to high school with some of the gang. She told me stories of the Copley side and the Buchtel side of the parking lot for weekend visits. She was a single mom in the early 60s and would save each month enough to take me there and split a meal,” wrote Erin Radcliffe.
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Zandra Buser delivered a message that was repeated, at least in spirit, by many who posted.
“Please know how much you meant to so many people. I will always cherish the memories and forever attempt to recreate the comfort flavor that has been Skyway Drive-In,” she posted.
Drive-ins are disappearing
It’s easy to see why drive-through, takeout, and delivery have replaced drive-ins.
“During the pandemic, drive-thru was the go-to option by necessity,” Richard Delvallée, senior vice president of consulting services at RMS, shared in Revenue Management’s report. “But in 2025, customers have more choices, and they’re using them, from dine-in and takeout to off-premises dining via delivery.”
More people, data shows, are simply picking up food or getting it delivered and eating at home.
“Nearly 75% of all restaurant traffic now happens off-premises — meaning that almost 3 out of 4 restaurant orders are taken to go, according to data from the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 Off-Premises Restaurant Trends report.
RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks drive-in restaurants have struggled for an obvious reason.
“It’s just a lot of acreage that is worth exponentially more to a national chain that wants to build something hyper-dense. And the other concern is the samification of America. Every place you go now, a family-run anchor is changing to a chain, so it’s really sad to start losing these iconic places,” he told TheStreet.
Skyway Drive-In restaurant did not close because of any of these trends.
Planning Commission member Denis VanDoros said Dutch Bros Coffee, a national chain, is buying the land and will raze the building, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
VanDoros said Skyway owner “Steve Large sent a letter that he was retiring and no family member wanted to take over the business.”
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