Tony Luke Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 12, 1962 Philadelphia, PA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Tony Luke's |
Anthony Lucidonio Jr. (born March 12, 1962) [1] better known as Tony Luke Jr. is an American restaurateur, musician, songwriter actor, and media host who founded the cheesesteak franchise Tony Luke's.
Luke married at age 18 after high school. He went to work with his father, Tony Lucidonio in food trucks and other odd jobs to support his growing family. [2] In the early 1990s Luke, his brother, Nicky, and their father bought a property near the expressway in South Philadelphia. To compete 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. [2]
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. [2]
Luke's restaurant franchise, Tony Luke's, has expanded from its original South Philadelphia location to Citizens Bank Park, Atlantic City, The Wildwoods, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Luke's frozen line "Tony Luke's Pronto" is available nationally. [3] [4] Luke and his restaurants have earned numerous awards and recognition from both local and national publications, [5] as well being featured in episodes of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay , Dinner: Impossible , Man v. Food and Food Wars . [6]
Luke opened a location in Bahrain in 2010 and plans on opening 60 more in the Middle East and North Africa. [7]
He was the host of "Tony Luke's Eaglemania" which aired Saturday nights on Philadelphia's ABC affiliate WPVI-TV [8] [9] for a portion of the Eagles' 2010 season.
Luke was born in South Philadelphia. He attended Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. [10]
Using methamphetamine and other drugs as a teenager, he now uses that experience and the fighting and hustling of his youth to tell kids that difficulties can be overcome. [2]
He was a state kickboxing champion in 1982–83. [2]
In 2011, after 31 years of marriage, Luke and his wife divorced. He has three sons, who all have worked for him. [2] In 2017, Luke's eldest son, Anthony James Lucidonio III, died in his home from an accidental opioid overdose at the age of 35. [10]
A cheesesteak is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pat's King of Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, and located at the intersection of South 9th Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia, directly across the street from rival Geno's Steaks. It was founded in 1930 by brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who are credited with the creation of the cheesesteak.
Geno's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento. Geno's is located in South Philadelphia at the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, directly across the street from rival Pat's King of Steaks, which is generally credited with having invented the cheesesteak in 1933. The cheesesteak has since become a signature dish for Philadelphia.
WPVI-TV, branded 6 ABC, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the market's ABC outlet. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in the Wynnefield Heights section of Philadelphia, and a transmitter in the city's Roxborough neighborhood.
Leo Rossi is an American actor, writer and producer. A character actor with over 100 credits to his name, he is known for his role as foul-mouthed EMT Vincent "Budd" Scarlotti in the 1981 horror film Halloween II, as the serial killer Turkell from the 1990 horror sequel Maniac Cop 2, and as Detective Sam Dietz in the Relentless franchise. His other films include Heart Like a Wheel (1983), River's Edge (1986), The Accused (1988), Analyze This (1999), One Night at McCool's (2001), and 10th & Wolf (2006).
Al Alberts was an American popular singer and composer.
"College" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, and originally aired on February 7, 1999. It was written by co-producer James Manos Jr. and series creator and executive producer David Chase. The episode was directed by Allen Coulter. The episode was ranked second on TV Guide's's list of "100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time", published in 2009.
Charleys Philly Steaks is an American restaurant chain of Philly cheesesteak stores headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Charley's Steakery and Charley's Grilled Subs, the franchise was established in 1986 on the campus of Ohio State University. By 2017 there were 600 locations in 45 states and in 19 countries. Charleys is believed to have doubled in size in 2021. In addition to traditional Philly cheesesteaks, the chain also has other steak based sandwiches and multiple grilled chicken sandwiches, among other grilled sandwiches.
The 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual Thanksgiving Day parade held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is currently sponsored and broadcast by ABC owned-and-operated television station WPVI-TV, through a co-sponsorship agreement with restaurant chain Dunkin'. It is currently the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States, having been held through the Great Depression and World War II, and was created by Gimbels department store in 1920. The Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade was held until the department store closed operations in 1986.
Joseph Anthony Vento was an American cook and restaurateur who founded Geno's Steaks, a cheesesteak restaurant, in 1966, starting a longtime rivalry with neighboring restaurant Pat's King of Steaks.
The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone is a 2009 drama film. The film was directed by James Quattrochi and stars Tony Luke Jr., Tony Danza and William Forsythe.
Philadelphia has a significant Italian American population. In 2010, the Philadelphia metropolitan region had the second-largest Italian-American population in the United States with more than 142,000 residents with Italian ancestry, and about 3,100 Italian immigrants.
Jim's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1939 on North 62nd Street in West Philadelphia. Jim's Steaks currently has two locations, the original in West Philadelphia and another in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Jim's Steaks owned the restaurant on South Street until 2011.
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. 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.
Dalessandro's Steaks & Hoagies is a cheesesteak restaurant that was founded in 1960 in Roxborough, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2011, when referring to Dalessandro's, The New York Times declared that "Philly food could be summed up by those cheese steaks".
Ashburn Alley is the open concourse behind center field at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. It is named after Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, Phillies center fielder from 1948 to 1959, and was also a long time broadcaster for the Phillies from 1963 until his death in September 1997. Ashburn Alley spans from the left field gate to "The Yard" kids area, and features a "street-fair" like atmosphere before and during a game.
A Philly taco, also known as South Street Sushi, or the Lorenzo's-Jim's Challenge, is a sandwich consisting of a cheesesteak wrapped in a jumbo slice.
Donkey's Place is a restaurant and bar founded in 1943 in the Parkside neighborhood of Camden, New Jersey, which sells various sandwiches. The deli is known for its hoagies and cheesesteaks.
Jim's South St., formerly a part of the Jim's Steaks franchise, is a Philadelphia restaurant located on South Street specializing in cheesesteaks. The original restaurant chain known as Jim's Steaks was founded in West Philadelphia in 1939, however in 2011 ownership of the location on South Street changed and was later renamed to Jim's South St.
Max's Steaks is a cheesesteak and hoagie restaurant that was founded in 1994 on Germantown Ave in Nicetown, North Philadelphia. The restaurant is known for its whole cheesesteaks sometimes referred to as the "Giant" which is two feet long. The restaurant is attached to a bar called Eagle Bar.
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