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Joe's Steaks + Soda Shop, formerly named Chink's Steaks, was a
In 1949, Samuel "Chink" Sherman opened Chink's Steaks. Sherman, who was
cheesesteak
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popula ...
restaurant founded in 1949 in Northeast Philadelphia
Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Great Northeast, and known colloquially as simply "the Northeast", is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of betw ...
, Pennsylvania. Controversy over the restaurant's former name led to the owner renaming it. A second restaurant location opened in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia in 2015. In addition to its cheesesteak sandwich specialty, the company sold other types of sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, and other foods. The original location closed in early 2023.
History
In 1949, Samuel "Chink" Sherman opened Chink's Steaks. Sherman, who was Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, was nicknamed "chink
''Chink'' is an English-language List of ethnic slurs, ethnic slur usually referring to a person of Chinese people, Chinese descent, but also used to insult people with East Asian features. The use of the term describing eyes with epicanthic ...
", an ethnic slur
The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pej ...
commonly used at the time, because his eyes were almond-shaped, considered to be a Chinese characteristic. Sherman died in 1997. In 1999, longtime employee Joe Groh, purchased the restaurant from Sherman's family.
In 2013, Groh changed the name of the restaurant to Joe's Steaks due to criticism of the use of "chink", a word that had come to be considered unacceptable. Groh did not change the name earlier because he wanted to "honor the wishes of some of the regular customers who were opposed to any kind of change, big or small", and because the name was a tradition. Some of the restaurant's customers from the neighborhood opposed the name change, and some badgered Joe about the matter. Some people also left negative comments about the name change on various social media websites and on online restaurant review sites. The restaurant suffered a loss of profit after some customers boycotted it due to the name change.
Groh expanded to a second location in Fishtown which opened on April 1, 2015.
Fare and atmosphere
Joe's Steaks specializes incheesesteak
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popula ...
sandwiches, and also serves other types of sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages, hand-cut fries, sodas, milkshakes and sundaes. The company also purveys a vegan cheesesteak sandwich. The original location on Torresdale Avenue has a 1950s diner style, with wooden booths that have small jukeboxes (which are no longer operational), a lunch counter and soda fountain. It has seating for about thirty customers. The Fishtown neighborhood location is larger.
Reception
Erin O'Neill ofNJ.com
NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore reports that ...
rated Joe's Steaks as "10 Philly cheesesteaks worth crossing the bridge for".
See also
*List of submarine sandwich restaurants
The following is an incomplete list of notable submarine sandwich restaurants.
A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, wedge, hoagie, hero, gyro, grinder, baguette, or one of many regional naming variations, is a sandwich that consists of a lon ...
References
External links
* {{coord, 40.018443, -75.058081, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Submarine sandwich restaurants Restaurants in Philadelphia 1949 establishments in Pennsylvania Restaurants established in 1949 Northeast Philadelphia