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Tony Luke's

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Tony Luke's Worldwide
Tony Luke's
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual
FoundedFebruary 3, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-02-03)
FounderTony Lucidonio
Tony Luke Jr.
Nicky Lucidonio
Headquarters39 East Oregon Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States
Number of locations
16 (2021)
Area served
ProductsCheesesteaks, Italian roast pork, and other sandwiches
OwnerLucidonio family
WebsiteTonyLukes.com

Tony Luke's is an American-based cheesesteak restaurant that was founded in 1992 by Tony Lucidonio and his sons, Tony Luke Jr. and Nicky Lucidonio at its original location at 39 East Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia.[1][2][3] The franchise has since expanded, with 16 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, one location each in Washington, DC, Maryland & Texas as well as one in Bahrain.[4][5][6]

History

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In the early 1990s Luke, Jr., his father and his brother, Nicky, bought a property near the expressway in South Philadelphia. The restaurant opened on February 3, 1992. The restaurant did not initially serve cheesesteaks until six months after opening due to popular demand. To avoid competition with other local businesses, the original Tony Luke's stand offered a more diversified menu, offering hoagies and other fare, along with cheesesteaks. Luke Jr. soon took over the store's marketing.[7]

Eventually, the business grew to include several locations in the Philadelphia area and a line of frozen sandwiches. Through a partnership with Rastelli Foods Group, the business now has several franchised locations in Bahrain.[7] On January 21, 2019, the restaurant announced that they will be opening 7 locations in New York City. [8] The first location opened on April 3, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York on Flatbush Avenue. [9]

In July 2020, the owner Anthony Lucidonio Sr. and his son Nicholas were indicted on federal tax fraud charges. They are accused of failing to report over $8 million of income from 2006 to 2016. They are also accused of paying employees in cash to avoid payroll taxes. The Lucidonios dispute the criminal charges.[10]

Business ventures

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In 2008 Tony Luke expanded his franchise to frozen cheesesteaks and pork products known as Tony Luke's Pronto.[11]

In mass media

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Tony Luke was selected as Bobby Flay's adversary for an episode of the cooking show Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, with Luke winning the cheesesteak battle.[12]

Tony Luke's was featured on the Travel Channel's Man v. Food with Adam Richman attempting the "Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge", which consisted of 42 oz. of beef, 18 oz. of cheese, and 8 oz. of fried onions on a 20-inch hoagie roll.[13] Richman chose American cheese for his cheesesteak while Luke, who also took on the challenge, opted for the more traditional Cheez Whiz on his. Richman succeeded in the challenge while Luke failed.

The restaurant was also featured on Food Wars (hosted by Camille Ford), going head-to-head with Pat's King of Steaks in a battle for best cheesesteak in Philadelphia, with Pat's beating out Tony Luke's in the competition.[6]

Tony Luke played host to former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall on his visit to Philadelphia filming his 2019 series Eddie Eats America for UKTV. Luke said Eddie was the fastest eater of the "Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ McCarthy, I. (2012). Food Lovers' Guide to Philadelphia: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings. Food lovers' series. Globe Pequot. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-0-7627-8896-5. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  2. ^ Stern, J.; Stern, M. (2007). Roadfood Sandwiches: Recipes and Lore from Our Favorite Shops Coast to Coast. Houghton Mifflin. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-618-72898-5. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  3. ^ Stern, J.; Stern, M. (2005). Roadfood: The Coast-To-Coast Guide to 500 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More. Roadfood: The Coast-To-Coast Guide to the Best Barbecue. Broadway Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7679-2264-7. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Tony Luke's Stores". Retrieved 2014-03-03.
  5. ^ Hoye, Sarah (2010-12-09). "Get your Philly cheesesteak on – in Bahrain". CNN.
  6. ^ a b "What's the beef?". Metro US. March 6, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Darrow, Chuck (2011-02-08). "Renaissance man Tony Luke is a Philly guy with many talents". Philly.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "Tony Luke's Announces Plan for 7 Cheesesteak Shops in New York City". January 19, 2019.
  9. ^ Vianna, Carla (April 3, 2019). "Philly Cheesesteak Icon Tony Luke's Scores Critic Approval for NYC Comeback". Eater NY.
  10. ^ "Founder of Philly cheesesteak shop Tony Luke's, son indicted for tax evasion". WPVI-TV. July 25, 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  11. ^ Nichols, Rick (2009-03-12). "Tony Luke's frozen? How good can that be?". Philly.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014.
  12. ^ Meals, Caitlin (2007-10-11). "Take a bite". South Philly Review.
  13. ^ "Man v. Food Philadelphia". Man vs. Food. Season 2. Episode 8. Philadelphia. 2009-09-23. Food Network.
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