Eddie’s Grill is likely the most well-known eatery on the strip at Geneva-on-the-Lake. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

If you need directions to Eddie’s Grill, they are pretty simple. Head north on SR 534 to the lake and follow the crowds.

The story about Eddie’s Grill started in 1950. That was the year 17-year-old Eddie Sezon signed a three-year lease to use a corner lot in the lakeside resort town to run a food stand. He had worked summers at Geneva-on-the-Lake since he was 12, starting out taking tickets at a dance hall and helping run a carnival game stand.

Within a few years he had saved up enough money from his initial venture and received help from his family to start on his dream. He began building a permanent location at the corner.

Three generations later, Eddie’s Grill is the one of the most popular places to eat in the area. Eddie, now in his 80s, still enjoys working the grill.

For customers who return summer after summer, the experience is not just about the food, it’s the atmosphere — stools at the outside counter, juke boxes at tables, freshly squeezed lemonade and root beer straight out of the barrel on the front counter.

Eddie’s hot dogs are famous and the real Slovenian sausage, cheeseburgers and fries are legendary. The chili is a homemade original Old World recipe from his mother, Mary Sezon.

Eddie’s Grill has gone far beyond being just a place to eat; it’s become a tradition. It has provided many teens with their first jobs. Generations of teenagers have worked the grill, pulled fish and fries from the fryer, waited on tables, taken orders and filled perhaps millions of cones with ice cream.

Many regular GOTL visitors stop at Eddie’s first thing. It’s been documented that Eddie’s has had appreciative customers from all over the United States, if not the entire world. According to a local newspaper account, a group of local residents recently solicited comments via Facebook, published the results and presented a book full of praises and memories to the Sezon family.

Eddie’s Grill is located at 5377 Lake Road, Geneva-on-the-Lake, but you won’t need to look for address numbers — just look for the crowds. Parking is located behind the restaurant.

Discover more drive-in restaurants in Dusty Tires. We have a list of 36 places in Ohio and West Virginia to enjoy hot dogs, burgers, root beer and more.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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