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]
Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies. The stadium opened April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the Phillies losing to the Cincinnati Reds, 4–1. It is named after Citizens Financial Group.
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.
Ted Drewes is a family-owned frozen custard company in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The business was founded by Ted Drewes, Sr. in 1929. The shop on Chippewa Street is open much of the year, while the South Grand Boulevard location is open from mid-May through late August.
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 the city of Philadelphia. After Joey Vento's death in 2011, restaurant ownership was passed to his son Geno Vento.
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).
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 The Ohio State University. By 2017 there were 600 locations in 45 states and in 19 countries. Charleys is expected 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.
Steak-umm is a brand of thin-sliced frozen steaks manufactured by The Steak-Umm Company, LLC. Steak-umms are sold in supermarkets throughout the United States and are used for making homemade Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks. The company claims to be "the best-known sandwich steak brand in America" and to have "helped turn the regional 'Philly Cheese Steak' Sandwich into standard fare on America's dinner tables over four decades ago". The company also produces ready-to-cook hamburger patties that are available in "Original" and "Sweet Onion" varieties.
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".
Steve's Prince of Steaks is a cheesesteak eatery that was founded in 1980 on Bustleton Ave in the Oxford Circle section of Northeast Philadelphia. The eatery has since expanded to three additional locations and is popular among locals. The eatery is known for its melted American cheese and does not chop the meat.
PrimoHoagies Franchising, Inc. , doing business as PrimoHoagies, is a United States east coast-based, fast casual restaurant chain founded in 1992 in South Philadelphia. Primo Hoagies has over 95 locations in seven states, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, Florida and Virginia.
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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