When Jim and Allison Cruea bought The Market At Swayzee, the former owner shared a 135-year-old recipe for hand-breaded tenderloins that changed the business forever.
“The owner was like, ‘Don’t share this with anybody. It’s gonna make you a lot of money,'” says Jim Cruea. “That was the diamond in the rough, and we found out very quickly that everybody that came in there wanted the tenderloins.”
In 2015 the couple began mass-producing tenderloins as the meat market’s standout product. The tenderloins are made from 100% USDA No.1 pork loin and can be customized with more than 20 toppings.
“We never had enough of them,” says Cruea. “We had a guy making them four hours a day. They’d be sold out by closing.”
Soon the operation expanded to two workers making tenderloins for eight hours a day, but they still needed more. Today The Market At Swayzee is a federally inspected facility that produces 10,000 tenderloins each day.
During the pandemic, customer demand inspired the launch of pop-up trucks called Squeals on Wheels that went city to city selling tenderloins. The Facebook page for the original Swayzee hand-breaded tenderloin racked up nearly 20,000 followers eager to catch the next pop-up.
“It took off like gangbusters,” says Cruea. “Now we have two vans that go out five, six days a week in different directions and they sell out everywhere they go.”
Overwhelmingly, customers requested a sit-down restaurant. That wish finally came true on January 6, 2025, when Swayzee Loinz opened its doors to hungry Hoosiers.
“We opened the restaurant in Carmel, which will probably be the first of five or six in different areas,” says Cruea.
Swayzee Loinz received a great turnout for its opening day, despite a few hiccups and nine inches of snow.
“That was a very busy day; I think we even broke a key off at the door,” says Cruea.
The following week’s soft opening also proved a hit. Now the website is up and running to take online orders and process deliveries.
“The biggest issue is people don’t know that we’re open,” says Cruea. “We’re trying to do something with pork that nobody else has done.”
From tenderloin pizzas and salads to Hoosier hotdogs, Swayzee Loinz is not afraid to be experimental with Indiana’s favorite pork product.
Hoosiers can mix and match their favorite entrée with sides like loaded tater tots, baked beans and Swayzee Slaw. Gluten-free and keto dieters can enjoy a grilled tenderloin with seasoning.
From pig-themed stress balls with QR codes for online ordering to pig-branded skewers, the swine dominates Swayzee Loinz marketing.
The restaurant even has a pig-themed beer in collaboration with Garfield Brewery called the Curly Tail Ale. Through a partnership with Heartland Homemade Ice Cream, a Beech Grove-based business, Swayzee Loinz serves ice cream cups as its hallmark dessert.
The restaurant placed in the top eight of IndyStar’s Tenderloin Tourney, which aims to find the state’s best tenderloin by popular vote.
“I just think it’s a great camaraderie to get behind one product, which is kind of a Midwestern thing,” says Cruea. “People love tenderloins here in Indiana.”
Swayzee Loinz recently joined SinglePlatform, an internet marketing company, to help get the word out on sites like Yelp and OpenTable.
Through the Loinz Loyalty rewards program, tenderloin fanatics can earn one Pork Point for every dollar spent. After collecting 150 Pork Points, dedicated hoosiers unlock $10 off to use on their next purchase.
Swayzee Loinz is located at 7241 East 146th Street, Suite 100 in Carmel. You can call them at 317-764-2018 or check out their website at swayzeeloinzyourway.com.
