A diner car on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights is about to share its parking lot with one of Ohio's most famous drive-in chains. Abundance Culinary is collaborating with Swensons Drive-In on a food-truck pop-up featuring limited-edition menu items, with the truck set to roll up twice this month for a cause.
According to cleveland.com, the truck will be parked at Abundance, 1975 Lee Road, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 and Oct. 21. The exclusive menu includes a Hot Chili chicken sandwich and Hot Chili saucy nuggets, both available only at the truck during those hours.
The charitable angle sets this collaboration apart from past ones: all profits from the collaboration items sold will be donated to Re:Source Cleveland, the outlet reports. Diners who want a seat can still head inside Abundance, which will be open with limited seating, or grab a spot on its patio.
A First-Of-Its-Kind Pairing for Two Ohio Natives
The pop-up is billed as the first food-truck pop-up collaboration between the two Ohio-born businesses, per the same cleveland.com account. Swensons, founded in Akron in 1934, has built its reputation on curbside service and its signature Galley Boy burger, and the chain recently landed at No. 6 on USA Today's 2026 Readers' Choice list of best regional fast-food chains.
Abundance Culinary has its own local roots worth noting. The restaurant was founded by chef Liu Fang and Carl Setzer, who announced plans to set up permanent residence in the diner car on Lee Road, according to Cleveland Scene. At the time, the pair expected to begin operating Thursday through Sunday by April, with days of service potentially expanding to five or six per week by summer.
Swensons' Growing Taste for Local Collaborations
This isn't Swensons' first rodeo when it comes to teaming up with Cleveland-area restaurants. The chain, which operates 21 locations across Ohio, previously teamed up with Cordelia and Larder Delicatessen on limited-time menu items, cleveland.com notes.
Last year, Swensons Drive-In and Cordelia announced a limited-time collaboration for June, pairing the 90-year-old drive-in chain with Cordelia chef Vinnie Cimino on two specialty menu items. That partnership produced a pimento burger topped with Cordelia-style pimento cheese and Kool-Aid pickles, Cleveland Scene reported, and Cordelia hosted the Swensons food truck on its patio on June 30, 2025.
Swensons also partnered with Ohio City's Larder Delicatessen and Bakery on the Larder Deli Burg, a burger seasoned with Larder's signature pastrami spice blend. Charles Craig, speaking to Cleveland Scene, said the chain intends to keep the collaborations coming: “I don't foresee us ever really stopping any of the limited time offerings,” he said, describing the goal as generating fresh buzz and introducing each company's audience to the other.
For now, the Hot Chili chicken sandwich and Hot Chili saucy nuggets remain exclusive to the two scheduled dates at Abundance. Anyone hoping to try the collaboration will need to make it to Cleveland Heights during the Oct. 4 or Oct. 21 service window.
