Quaker Steak & Lube is a casual dining restaurant chain based in

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania Bloomsburg is a town and the county seat of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located southwest of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre along the Susquehanna River. It is the only ...

. It was founded in 1974, in

Sharon, Pennsylvania Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest o ...

. The original restaurant was built by George "Jig" Warren and Gary "Mo" Massaro's in an abandoned gas station in downtown Sharon, and decorated with license plates and old automobiles. Originally, a "cook your own steak" establishment, Quaker Steak is now known for its chicken wings and their large variety of proprietary dipping sauces.

History

In 1974, gas stations across the country were closing in the aftermath of the

1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...

. George "Jig" Warren III and Gary "Moe" Massaro's came up with the idea of preserving the culture of old gas stations and high-powered

muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

s. They opened Quaker Steak & Lube, initially a "cook-your-own-steak" restaurant that showcased old muscle cars. The original location includes a 1936

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

on the original

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

grease rack. On November 16, 2015, immediately after filing for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

, the company was acquired by

TravelCenters of America TravelCenters of America LLC is the largest publicly traded full-service truck stop and travel center company in the United States. The company operates full service centers, convenience stores, and restaurants under the TravelCenters of America, ...

, which planned to expand the chain both in its chain of

truck stop A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motori ...

s as well as in standalone locations. JDK Management purchased Quaker Steak & Lube from TravelCenters for $5 million in early 2021.

Awards

The restaurant has received significant critical acclaim, as of 2021 Quaker Steak & Lube having won over 86 awards.

Media

The Pointe at North Fayette The Pointe at North Fayette is a retail development about 15 minutes west of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in North Fayette Township. It is located on Summit Park Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15275. The Pointe is unique in that it has an exit off one ...

location in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

was featured in the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

series ''

Man v. Food ''Man v. Food'' is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008 on the Travel Channel. The program was originally hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" o ...

''. The episode's challenge was to consume six "Atomic" chicken wings, at the time the hottest wings on Quaker Steak's menu. Host

Adam Richman Adam Montgomery Richman is an American actor and television host. He has hosted various dining and eating-challenge programs on the Travel Channel and History Channel. Early life and education Richman, an only child, was born into a Jewish fa ...

completed the challenge in the allotted time and was awarded a commemorative

bumper sticker A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles—although they are often stuck onto other objects. Most bumper stickers are ...

and a place on the restaurant's "Atomic Wall of Flame".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quaker Steak And Lube Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1974 Steakhouses in the United States Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Restaurants in Pennsylvania Privately held companies based in Pennsylvania 1974 establishments in Pennsylvania Sharon, Pennsylvania Columbia County, Pennsylvania American companies established in 1974