Yocco's Hot Dogs is a

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

and

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 ...

establishment with five restaurants, each located in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

region of eastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, US. Yocco's was founded in 1922 by Theodore Iacocca, uncle of

Lee Iacocca Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive who developed the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, and then reviv ...

. Its corporate headquarters is located on East Minor Street in

Emmaus Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Although its geograp ...

History

20th century

Yocco's was originally established in 1922 at its former location at 625 Liberty Street in the center city section of

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

. Its original name was the Liberty Grill. The name Yocco's was derived from the name "Iacocca," after the family who owns the establishment. Because the

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

could not pronounce Iacocca, an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

name, and instead pronounced it as Yocco, the name was changed to reflect the pronunciation used in Pennsylvania Dutch. From the 1970s through the end of the 20th century, Yocco's opened five additional restaurants in Allentown and its suburbs. The first was at 2128 Hamilton Street in Allentown, followed by locations in

, Fogelsville, Trexlertown, and Hanover Township. Yocco's has made several appearances in ''Zippy'', a nationally syndicated comic strip featuring the character

Zippy the Pinhead Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ''Zippy'', an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' and became a ...

21st century

In 2016, the Liberty Street location closed, and a sixth location opened in South Mall in Salisbury Township. The company currently operates five locations in the

, including three in Allentown, and one each in

and Fogelsville. In December 2023, the company announced the closure of its Trexlertown store on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

. Yocco's is currently run by Gary Iacocca, the restaurant chain's third generation owner. The company's corporate headquarters is in

Current locations

*Yocco's Route 100 at 225 PA Route 100 in Fogelsville *Yocco’s South at 4042 Chestnut Street in

*Yocco’s South Mall in South Mall at 3300 Lehigh Street in

*Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Road in Allentown *Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton Street in Allentown

References

External links

Yocco's official site

Yocco's
at

{{coord, 40.538669, -75.48356, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title 1922 establishments in Pennsylvania Companies based in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Culture of Allentown, Pennsylvania Emmaus, Pennsylvania Hot dog restaurants in the United States Restaurants established in 1922 Restaurants in Pennsylvania