NORTHAMPTON, Pa. – After its last brick-and-mortar location closed in May, a once-prominent Lehigh Valley area restaurant brand – known for its cheesesteaks and hot and cold subs – has started a new chapter.
A new J’s Steaks & Subs food truck is in a soft-opening phase, operating noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Weyerbacher Brewing Co.’s Easton taproom, 905 Line St., Easton.
Indoor and outdoor tables are available for on-site dining, and take-out orders can also be placed.
J’s Steaks & Subs
A grand opening is tentatively scheduled to be held sometime within the next few weeks, according to Brandon Clawson, who’s operating the food truck with his wife, Aleea Clawson.
“So far, everyone’s loving it,” Brandon said regarding the new food truck.
In late April, Aleea’s mother and J’s Northampton owner Candace Strain announced plans to close the J’s Northampton location, at 1830 Main St. in Northampton, noting that it “has not been an easy decision.”
The restaurant, which closed in late May, was the last brick-and-mortar location of J’s.
News of the food truck was announced in early July.
“Are you ready for the next generation!” the online announcement reads.
“New visions & new dreams are coming. Please support our children Brandon & Aleea as they embark on their journey and continue the legacy they have known their whole lives. A husband and wife duo ready to serve you once again, with a flair of their own.”
During its soft-opening phase, the new J’s food truck is offering 6-, 10- and 14-inch cheesesteaks, served with fried onions, J’s special tomato sauce and pickles. Sweet or hot peppers are available upon request.
Additionally, individuals can enjoy 7- and 14-inch cold subs, including American, Italian and J’s Special, featuring lettuce, raw onion, tomato, oil and vinegar, and oregano. Sweet or hot peppers are available upon request.
Meal deals such as the “Steak Break” (6-inch cheesesteak with small side and drink for $13) and “Deli Delight” (7-inch half cold sub with small side and drink for $11) are also available.
Other menu highlights include sides such as fries, onion rings, pierogies and chicken tenders.
Currently, the food truck’s home base is at Weyerbacher, but the Clawsons eventually would like to bring it to festivals and other public events, along with various private parties.
They’re also looking to purchase another food truck down the line.
“The long-term plan is to keep this food truck here at Weyerbacher, and then get another food truck to take to events,” Brandon said.
Ryan Kneller
In announcing the Northampton’s restaurant’s closure this past spring, Strain noted that it “has not been an easy decision.”
“It’s one that comes with a heavy heart to announce,” Strain stated in the online post.
“… I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of our amazing customers for your support, loyalty, and memories over the years. It has truly meant everything to us.”
For roughly 40 years, operations at J’s Steaks & Subs in Northampton were previously headed by Strain’s late husband, Dan Strain, who passed away in March 2025.
Dan started his first job as a counter server at the former J’s location at 15th and Turner streets in Allentown in 1972 before eventually moving up to management and becoming a franchise owner in 1980.
Prior to opening the Northampton restaurant, he also operated a location in Catasauqua.
The Northampton eatery, which was the last brick-and-mortar location of J’s Steaks & Subs, had seen unsteady business in recent years, Brandon Clawson previously told 69 News.
“It’s been up and down, and recently, it’s been more on the decline,” Clawson said of the business’ foot traffic and sales.
J’s originated as “J’s Atlantic City Giant Submarines” in 1968 with a single location at 15th and Turner streets in Allentown by butchers Jerald Yanowitz and Joe Williams.
Over the ensuing decades, the brand grew to dozens of locations in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region, including former J’s eateries in Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Hellertown and Telford.
A former J’s location closed in 2024 on Stefko Boulevard in Bethlehem.
Ryan Kneller
Prior to the Northampton restaurant’s closure, the most recent former J’s location closed in 2024 at 2140 Stefko Blvd. in Bethlehem.
Other former Bethlehem locations operated at the Westgate Mall on Schoenersville Road, at North New Street and Elizabeth Avenue, and on Fourth Street on the city’s south side.
At its peak in the mid-1980s, J’s had around 50 total locations spanning multiple counties.
The late Harold G. Fulmer III, a prominent Lehigh Valley businessman, purchased a controlling interest in J’s in 1985 with hopes to eventually grow the chain nationally.
J’s footprint, however, was greatly diminished in the late 1990s and 2000s, eventually being reduced to a handful of restaurants before Palmer Township’s Ed Lozano purchased J’s in 2015.
Lozano hoped to revive the brand, opening several Lehigh Valley J’s restaurants over the ensuing years, but all of these locations have since closed.
Former J’s eateries in Bath, Easton, Forks Township, Palmer Township, Lower Nazareth Township, and downtown Allentown are among the locations that have closed in recent years.
Lozano is CEO of Savant Beverages LLC, which purchased Weyerbacher in 2022.
Over the decades, J’s Steaks & Subs became well-known for its beef and chicken steak sandwiches and cheesesteaks, along with cold subs such as tuna, turkey, roast beef, Italian and “J’s Special” (provolone cheese, ham, pepper ham, capicola and hard salami).
In Northampton, other menu highlights included hot subs such as BLT and meatball parmesan; hot sandwiches such as a gyro and fish sandwich; burgers and hot dogs such as a California cheeseburger and foot-long chili cheese dog; and side orders such as cheese fries, pierogies and mozzarella sticks.