Philadelphia, PA - Recently, there was a stir over the name change of The Original Tony Luke's in South Philadelphia. In a cease-and-desist letter, Tony Jr. and Ray Rastelli, the franchise owners and cheesesteak home delivery service, gave Nick Lucidonio until July 25 to alter the name and branding of the restaurant. Ultimately, they want to disassociate their new franchise from the original location.
The Original Tony Luke's Will Change Its Name to Tony & Nicks Steaks
The South Philadelphia cheesesteak chain The Original Tony Luke's will change its name to Tony & Nicks Steaks, located at 39 E. Oregon Ave. The restaurant was founded in 1992 by Tony Lucidonio Sr., who was also responsible for the IRS tax fraud case. The current owners, Nick and Anthony Lucidonio, will run the restaurant cheesesteak chain name "Tony and Nick's Steaks." The new sign will be installed later this month.
Since leaving the Original Tony Luke's, Tony Jr. expanded his restaurant empire. Today, he owns locations in Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. It's unclear what's happening behind the scenes, but the name change is a positive step. The name change is likely to resolve any legal issues surrounding the restaurant.
