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<\/p>\nCheesesteak scion Tony Luke Jr., who has been estranged from his father and brother for years, laughs at their asking price for what is now Tony & Nick’s.<\/p>\n
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Tony & Nicks cheesesteak shop \u2014 formerly Tony Luke\u2019s \u2014 on Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia is for sale.<\/p>\n
There was a time when a quadrumvirate of old-school cheesesteak power players ruled Philadelphia: Pat\u2019s, Geno\u2019s, Jim\u2019s, and Tony Luke\u2019s. Depending on when you\u2019d visit, all had unreasonably long lines. But the Tony Luke\u2019s organization fell into disarray beginning in 2015, when a family feud erupted between the garrulous Tony Lucidonio Jr. \u2014 the longtime face of the restaurant, aka Tony Luke \u2014 and his father, Tony Lucidonio Sr., and brother, Nicholas Lucidonio, as Tony Luke franchised the operation. There were lawsuits. There were many accusations. Bad blood was dripping everywhere like Whiz from a cheesesteak, and all of that took its toll on the original shop. It was never the same.<\/p>\n
But now is your chance to stake your own claim as a cheesesteak entrepreneur at the old Tony Luke\u2019s in South Philadelphia and bring the stretch of Oregon Avenue just east of Front Street back to its former glory.<\/p>\n
Lucidonio Sr. wants to retire and is selling the bricks and business, which has been called Tony & Nick\u2019s since 2022, when Lucidonio Sr. changed the name from Tony Luke\u2019s as part of a court settlement with Tony Luke Jr. The asking price for the old Tony Luke\u2019s is $3.2 million, and that includes the 2,500-square foot restaurant facility as well as the vacant lot next door. The deal also includes all restaurant equipment, and the staff of 12 is expected to remain under new ownership.<\/p>\n
Restaurant management did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Arthur Kousombos, the real estate agent representing Tony & Nick\u2019s, declined to comment other than to say that there has been \u201ctons\u201d of interest in the old Tony Luke\u2019s.<\/p>\n
In addition to all of the unfortunate family drama, there has also been criminal drama involving the restaurant\u2019s current owners. Lucidonio Sr. and Nicholas Lucidonio both pleaded guilty in a 2022 tax fraud conspiracy, after they hid more than $8 million in cash earnings from the IRS. They were each sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2024.<\/p>\n
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Tony Luke Jr. and Tony Luke Sr. as seen in a 2016 Philly Mag story<\/p>\n
A since-updated January 2024 Inquirer story<\/a> about that criminal case suggested that Tony Luke Jr. was, to use South Philly mob lingo, a rat who shared documents with the feds that resulted in the charges against his brother and father. (He was called a \u201crat\u201d in social media comments, and Joey Merlino took to his podcast and called him a \u201cmotherfucker\u201d who \u201cput his father and brother in jail.\u201d) Tony Luke Jr.\u00a0swiftly sued the Inquirer, saying that was patently false and that he had zero involvement with the case. The paper entered into a confidential settlement with Tony Luke Jr. last year.<\/p>\n So, is $3.2 million a good deal for the old Tony Luke\u2019s? We turned to Philly cheesesteak king Frank Olivieri of Pat\u2019s Steaks fame for insight.<\/p>\n \u201cTony Luke\u2019s is a great location,\u201d says Olivieri. \u201cIt\u2019s the hub of where people jump on I-95 and jump off of I-95 on their way to and from the sports venues. So for $3.2 million, if you\u2019re not making enough money on your investments with your annuities and stuff, I think it\u2019s a great place to buy if you want to go back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Olivieri does wonder, though, if the cheesesteak business as a whole is a smart investment in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThree years ago, it was $2.50 a pound of imported Australian ribeye, and now it\u2019s as much as $8 a pound,\u201d he laments. \u201cCooper Sharp and Cheez Whiz prices are ridiculous. And then you\u2019re dealing with the people who are on GLP-1s. Two people would come to the window and order two sandwiches. Now they\u2019re ordering one and splitting it.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Tony Luke Jr., who divides his time working as a grief counselor and addiction counselor (his son Anthony III died of a heroin overdose in 2017), writing music<\/a>, acting<\/a>, and administering the Tony Luke\u2019s franchise operation and its several locations, he scoffs at his dad\u2019s asking price.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that the business and the property is not worth $3.2 million, right?\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely not, because remember: you\u2019re not buying Tony Luke\u2019s. You\u2019re buying Tony & Nick\u2019s, and Tony & Nick\u2019s has only been operating for a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n But if the price were right, would Tony Luke Jr. reclaim his throne on Oregon Avenue under the famous Tony Luke\u2019s brand?<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t talk about that,\u201d he told us. \u201cI can\u2019t discuss that. I have no comment on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Either way, Tony Luke says he\u2019s far from done with the cheesesteak business.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really going heavily to rebuild the brand,\u201d he says, declining to provide specific details. \u201cTony Luke\u2019s needs to come back. It needs to make a resurgence.\u201d<\/p>\n