{"id":233807,"date":"2026-07-02T15:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T15:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233807\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T15:16:12","slug":"next-generation-husband-and-wife-to-continue-the-legacy-of-js-steaks-subs-via-food-truck-eat-sip-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233807\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Next generation\u2019: Husband and wife to \u2018continue the legacy\u2019 of J\u2019s Steaks &#038; Subs via food truck | Eat, Sip, Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NORTHAMPTON, Pa. \u2013 After its last brick-and-mortar location closed in May, a once-prominent Lehigh Valley area restaurant brand \u2013 serving hot and cold subs, burgers and other freshly prepared eats \u2013 is beginning a new chapter.<\/p>\n<p>A new J\u2019s Steaks &amp; Subs food truck is coming soon, according to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JsNorthampton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">online announcement<\/a> from J\u2019s Northampton, which closed in late May at 1830 Main St. in Northampton.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you ready for the next generation!\u201d the announcement reads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew visions &amp; new dreams are coming. Please support our children Brandon &amp; 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 flare of their own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new food truck will be operated by husband and wife Brandon and Aleea Clawson and will serve customers at Weyerbacher Brewing Co.\u2019s Easton taproom, 905 Line St., Easton.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals should monitor the business\u2019 pages on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61590531873993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jssteaksandsubs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a> for grand opening updates and other news.<\/p>\n<p>In late April, Aleea\u2019s mother and J\u2019s Northampton owner Candace Strain announced plans to close the J\u2019s Northampton location, noting that it \u201chas not been an easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"J's Steaks\" class=\"img-responsive lazyload full blur\" width=\"1950\" height=\"1063\" data- data-\/><\/p>\n<p>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/65e702787b73d.image.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"109\" width=\"200\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one that comes with a heavy heart to announce,\u201d Strain stated in the online post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For roughly 40 years, operations at J&#8217;s Steaks &amp; Subs in Northampton were previously headed by Strain&#8217;s late husband, Dan Strain, who passed away in March 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Dan started his first job as a counter server at the former J&#8217;s location at 15th and Turner streets in Allentown in 1972 before eventually moving up to management and becoming a franchise owner in 1980.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to opening the Northampton restaurant, he also operated a location in Catasauqua.<\/p>\n<p>The Northampton eatery, which was the last brick-and-mortar location of J\u2019s Steaks &amp; Subs, had seen unsteady business in recent years, Brandon Clawson previously told 69 News.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been up and down, and recently, it\u2019s been more on the decline,\u201d Clawson said of the business\u2019 foot traffic and sales.<\/p>\n<p>J&#8217;s originated as &#8220;J&#8217;s Atlantic City Giant Submarines&#8221; in 1968 with a single location at 15th and Turner streets in Allentown by butchers Jerald Yanowitz and Joe Williams.<\/p>\n<p>Over the ensuing decades, the brand grew to dozens of locations in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region, including former J&#8217;s eateries in Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Hellertown and Telford.<\/p>\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"J's Steaks\" class=\"img-responsive lazyload full blur\" width=\"1992\" height=\"1040\" data- data-\/><\/p>\n<p>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/65e701e7d7bd0.image.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"104\" width=\"200\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Bethlehem location of J&#8217;s Steaks and Subs ended operations a few weeks ago at 2140 Stefko Blvd.<\/p>\n<p>                                    Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the Northampton restaurant\u2019s closure, the most recent former J\u2019s location closed in 2024 at 2140 Stefko Blvd. in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s south side.<\/p>\n<p>At its peak in the mid-1980s, J&#8217;s had around 50 total locations spanning multiple counties.<\/p>\n<p>The late Harold G. Fulmer III, a prominent Lehigh Valley businessman, purchased a controlling interest in J&#8217;s in 1985 with hopes to eventually grow the chain nationally.<\/p>\n<p>J&#8217;s footprint, however, was greatly diminished in the late 1990s and 2000s, eventually being reduced to a handful of restaurants before Palmer Township&#8217;s Ed Lozano purchased J&#8217;s in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Lozano hoped to revive the brand, opening several Lehigh Valley J&#8217;s restaurants over the ensuing years, but all of these locations have since closed.<\/p>\n<p>Former J&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>Lozano is CEO of Savant Beverages LLC, which purchased Weyerbacher in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"J's Steaks\" class=\"img-responsive lazyload full blur\" width=\"1985\" height=\"1044\" data- data-\/><\/p>\n<p>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/65e7021dba4c5.image.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"105\" width=\"200\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A former Bethlehem location of J&#8217;s Steaks and Subs operated at 2140 Stefko Blvd.<\/p>\n<p>                                    Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n<p>Over the decades, J\u2019s Steaks &amp; 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 &#8220;J&#8217;s Special&#8221; (provolone cheese, ham, pepper ham, capicola and hard salami).<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The food truck&#8217;s menu has not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>                            <script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NORTHAMPTON, Pa. \u2013 After its last brick-and-mortar location closed in May, a once-prominent Lehigh Valley area restaurant brand&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,80287,80289,100981,2181,80290,80286,157,4729,28,52537],"class_list":["post-233807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-brandon-clawson","tag-candace-strain","tag-dan-strain","tag-easton","tag-j","tag-jerald-yanowitz","tag-lehigh-valley","tag-northampton","tag-pennsylvania","tag-weyerbacher-brewing-company"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}