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Pat's King of Steaks
Pat's King of Steaks (also known as Pat's Steaks) is a restaurant that specializes in cheesesteaks. It is located at the intersection of South 9th Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue in the Passyunk Square section of South Philadelphia, directly across the street from rival Geno's Steaks.
It was founded in 1930 by Italian American brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who are credited with the invention of the cheesesteak.
Pat's King of Steaks was founded by Pat (1907–1974) and Harry Olivieri (May 25, 1916 – July 22, 2006) in 1930 when they opened a hot dog stall at the corners of 9th Street, Wharton Street, and Passyunk Avenue. The brothers ran the stall while holding down other jobs; Harry worked as a carpenter, while Pat made sleds.
In 1933, as the family relates the story, the brothers were working their stand when they decided to try something different for lunch. Pat Olivieri sent Harry Olivieri to the market for some inexpensive steak. The brothers thinly sliced the steak, then grilled it along with some chopped onions. The aroma attracted a cabdriver who was a regular customer; he asked to try the dish which the brothers called a steak sandwich, though the term originated from Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, describing a similar sandwich. Pat sold him the sandwich for ten cents (equivalent to $2.49 in 2025). The steak sandwich would later evolve into the modern cheesesteak.
Soon afterwards, at the advice of the cabdriver, the brothers started selling steak sandwiches instead of hot dogs. By 1940, they had saved enough money to rent space to open a restaurant at the same spot where they had their stand. The two brothers worked at the restaurant for 15 to 18 hours a day for the next few decades while the restaurant was open 24 hours a day. Harry worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II before returning to the restaurant.[citation needed]
In 1972, Harry Olivieri had a heart attack and retired from day-to-day management. He still visited the business for a few hours each day to meet and greet the customers.
Pat's appeared in the 1976 film Rocky, and the restaurant installed a plaque where the character stood. The movie's popularity resulted in the restaurant becoming a better known destination for tourists, and it contributed to the ongoing friendly rivalry with Geno's. Pat's is a stop on the Philadelphia Visitor Center's official Rocky bus tour and the cast of Rocky the Musical did a promotional event there.
After pulling back from expansion and franchising efforts in the 1980s, the business was divided up by the Olivieri family. Harry's son, Frank, eventually bought out his father, sister and cousin and kept the original location, today run by Harry's grandson, Frank Jr. Pat's son Herbert opened disputed ownership of the business with Harry and his children and "Olivieri's Prince of Steaks", later to be the source of a family dispute (see below).
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Pat's King of Steaks
Pat's King of Steaks (also known as Pat's Steaks) is a restaurant that specializes in cheesesteaks. It is located at the intersection of South 9th Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue in the Passyunk Square section of South Philadelphia, directly across the street from rival Geno's Steaks.
It was founded in 1930 by Italian American brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who are credited with the invention of the cheesesteak.
Pat's King of Steaks was founded by Pat (1907–1974) and Harry Olivieri (May 25, 1916 – July 22, 2006) in 1930 when they opened a hot dog stall at the corners of 9th Street, Wharton Street, and Passyunk Avenue. The brothers ran the stall while holding down other jobs; Harry worked as a carpenter, while Pat made sleds.
In 1933, as the family relates the story, the brothers were working their stand when they decided to try something different for lunch. Pat Olivieri sent Harry Olivieri to the market for some inexpensive steak. The brothers thinly sliced the steak, then grilled it along with some chopped onions. The aroma attracted a cabdriver who was a regular customer; he asked to try the dish which the brothers called a steak sandwich, though the term originated from Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, describing a similar sandwich. Pat sold him the sandwich for ten cents (equivalent to $2.49 in 2025). The steak sandwich would later evolve into the modern cheesesteak.
Soon afterwards, at the advice of the cabdriver, the brothers started selling steak sandwiches instead of hot dogs. By 1940, they had saved enough money to rent space to open a restaurant at the same spot where they had their stand. The two brothers worked at the restaurant for 15 to 18 hours a day for the next few decades while the restaurant was open 24 hours a day. Harry worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II before returning to the restaurant.[citation needed]
In 1972, Harry Olivieri had a heart attack and retired from day-to-day management. He still visited the business for a few hours each day to meet and greet the customers.
Pat's appeared in the 1976 film Rocky, and the restaurant installed a plaque where the character stood. The movie's popularity resulted in the restaurant becoming a better known destination for tourists, and it contributed to the ongoing friendly rivalry with Geno's. Pat's is a stop on the Philadelphia Visitor Center's official Rocky bus tour and the cast of Rocky the Musical did a promotional event there.
After pulling back from expansion and franchising efforts in the 1980s, the business was divided up by the Olivieri family. Harry's son, Frank, eventually bought out his father, sister and cousin and kept the original location, today run by Harry's grandson, Frank Jr. Pat's son Herbert opened disputed ownership of the business with Harry and his children and "Olivieri's Prince of Steaks", later to be the source of a family dispute (see below).
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