Anybody for a Fruity Pebbles French toast sandwich stuffed with beef bacon and fried chicken? Nobody beats the Wiz.
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Philly performers Tizz 215 and Cartier 215 in a promotional rap video for the Wiz, the North Philadelphia all-day breakfast spot set to take over the Wilson’s Secret Sauce space in Delco (image courtesy The Wiz)
The talk of the town in Delco of late has not been the geopolitical mess we find ourselves in or A.I. taking over the world or the upcoming mid-term elections. No, everybody in Delco is talking about Wilson’s Secret Sauce, the Upper Darby barbecue restaurant that is soon closing its doors on Township Line Road, one year after Gordon Ramsay showed up to “save” it in what turned out to be a very poorly done restaurant “reality” show, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Sauce. And now comes word of what will replace Wilson’s Secret Sauce: all-day North Philadelphia breakfast and brunch joint The Wiz Cafe.
Thomas Montgomery Jr., who opened The Wiz Cafe at 3622 North 17th Street in July 2020, and Wilson’s Secret Sauce owner Steve Wilson both confirm that the two parties have reached an agreement and expect to settle in mid-April, with Montgomery telling Foobooz he hopes to open the Upper Darby edition of The Wiz Cafe in time for Mother’s Day in May.
The Wiz is known for its shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and somewhat ridiculous sandwiches that stuff fried chicken and other meats like beef bacon and jerk chicken sausage in between Fruity Pebbles-covered slices of French toast as much as it is for its very savvy social media presence, which includes promotional rap videos such as this one:
(My entire household was singing along to this for the better part of Sunday morning. Well done.)
Other than washing dishes and making pancakes at a breakfast spot his grandmother opened near 24th and Sedgley in the late 1990s, Montgomery had no experience in the restaurant business before opening the Wiz. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with degrees in sales and marketing and eventually became a licensed contractor and real estate broker. Before opening the Wiz, Montgomery was flipping houses left and right.
Thomas Montgomery Jr. in a promotional rap video for the Wiz, which is soon to open in Upper Darby where Wilson’s Secret Sauce is today (Image courtesy The Wiz)
He intends to leave the day-to-day of the original Wiz in the hands of employees who have been with him for a while so that he can concentrate on the Upper Darby location, for which he is currently hiring. The Wiz in North Philly is primarily a takeout location. He expects to have more extended hours in Upper Darby and wants to do as much sit-down business as possible.
“You have a ton of vehicles coming down Township Line Road,” he rightly points out. “You have all the doctors and nurses at Lankenau Hospital, which is seven minutes away. And college kids love the Wiz. You have St. Joe’s, you have Villanova and the other schools nearby. Plus, I’m going to have a barista. It’s really hard to get proper coffee in this area.”
He’s not wrong about that.
Montgomery says that he had one kid when he opened the original Wiz. He’s now up to three.
“There’s a lot to juggle between being a dad an a business owner,” he admits. “But I’m here for it.”
