OSWEGO – Like the melting of the snow, and the first sighting of a robin, the signs of spring would be incomplete in Oswego without the annual opening of Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In, located on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario.
Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In officially opened their doors yesterday, Wednesday March 24, surprising customers with an early start time of 11 a.m. instead of 4 p.m. as previously posted.
For the 75th consecutive year Rudy’s is once again making some of the Oswego area’s favorite foods to enjoy: haddock tails, hamburgers, hotdogs and creamy mac and cheese. That, topped off with a cool glass of lemonade, can make the perfect lakeside meal.
If customers prefer, there can always include sides to add flavor and flair to their order – warm french fries, fried mushroom caps, and hearty baked beans.
This year, Rudy’s is excited to offer some new items on the menu – staples that were removed last year due to the pandemic. Items include sausage, sweet potato fries, salads and taco salad, as well as hopes that inside seating will be right around the corner according to Rudy’s Manager Doug Appleman.
“Hopefully if COVID gets less and less, we can go back in and let people start to get back in the building – change thing back [to] a little sense of normalcy,” Appleman said.
Childhood friends Natasha Mezza and Miranda Tice have made it a tradition to visit Rudy’s every year since they were small, Mezza missing out on the rite-of-passage when she left for college in Rochester, New York.
Mezza, who now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, rearranged her vacation time this year to join in on the action of opening day at Rudy’s.
“It’s an Oswego staple for sure,” Mezza said. “So I came home a little bit early to make sure I could make it to Rudy’s for opening day.”
Tice also had fond memories from years ago.
“It’s kinda been like a tradition with us and our grandmother,” Tice said. “We always come opening day. When we were younger we used to do lunch – [she would] pull us out of school to have lunch [at Rudy’s] on opening day every year.”
Spring hours of operation this year are as follows;
- Monday/Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday/Thursday: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Friday/Saturday/Sunday: 11 a.m, – 8 p.m.
Hours will change throughout the season progresses. The drive-thru option is still open this year and inside seating will be closed until further notice. Customers can order online at rudyshot.com or call (315) 343-2671.
missing or outdated ad config
