Jim's South St., formerly a part of the Jim's Steaks franchise, is a
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
located on
South Street
South Street may refer to:
Streets by that name
* South Street (Durham), England
* South Street, Mayfair, England
*South Street (Manhattan), United States
*South Street (Perth, Western Australia)
* South Street (Perth, Scotland)
*South Street (Ph ...
specializing in
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 ...
s. The original restaurant chain known as
Jim's Steaks
Jim's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1939 on North 62nd Street in West Philadelphia. Jim's Steaks currently has two locations, the original in West Philadelphia and another in Springfield Township, ...
was founded in West Philadelphia in 1939, however in 2011 ownership of the location on South Street changed and was later renamed to Jim's South St.
Founding
In the 1930s, "Jim and Millie" offered sandwiches from their house in West Philadelphia. In 1939, they converted the house into what would become Jim's Steaks. William Proetto and his brother, Tom, purchased the West Philadelphia location in 1966. In 1976, Proetto and Abner Silver opened its second location on South Street.
History
Abner Silver took sole ownership of Jim's Steaks on South Street in 2011 after Proetto death. Abner Silver's owned the South Street location until his death from complications of Alzheimer's disease in 2015.
Ownership of Jim's Steak on South Street was passed to his son, Kenneth Silver. The name of the South Street location was later renamed to Jim's South Street.
In 2014, while in town for the opening of ''
Ride Along'',
Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.
After winning se ...
and
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...
gave away cheesesteaks at Jim's South Street.
In 2016,
NJ.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 ...
named Jim's South Street as one of the 10 Philadelphia cheesesteak shops that are worth a visit.
Jim's was selected based on winning a series of polls of the readers of the ''
Philadelphia Business Journal
American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...
''.
Ken Silver feared the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
would change the cheesesteak business forever.
After reopening after a 2-month lockdown, crowds were smaller, but better than what Silver expected.
In the morning of July 29, 2022, a fire, caused by downed wires, was reported at Jim's South Street.
Firefighters were met with smoke and backup was called.
Silver said the fire was most likely caused by a malfunctioning
HVAC system.
Silver plans to rebuild Jim's saying "I owe it to my father’s legacy. I owe it to the street and I owe it to Philadelphia. We are too important a business to go away and I truly view it that way."
Reconstruction of this location was originally planned for completion in 2023, but was then delayed into 2024 due to the complexity of also expanding next door, into space inside 402 South Street. Jim's Steaks reopened to the public on the week of April 28, 2024.
[''Iconic South Street cheesesteak shop set to reopen after devastating fire'', 6ABC Action News (Apr. 25, 2024).]
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, 39.94156, -75.14926, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title
Restaurants established in 1976
Submarine sandwich restaurants
Restaurants in Philadelphia
1976 establishments in Pennsylvania
South Philadelphia