Philadelphia is full of must-see locations on sightseeing trips: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Art Museum, to name a few.
But in a city known for its cheesesteaks as well as for its nation-shaping historical landmarks, one eatery stands tall: Pat's King of Steaks.
'This guy just messed with South Philly ... we don’t forget!'
Pat's has been around for almost 100 years, according to the colorful sign sitting above the South Philly establishment on East Passyunk Avenue. You might also recall it was a filming location for the 1976 Oscar-winning movie "Rocky."
And while Pat's certainly contends with plenty of competition around town these days, and the ongoing who-has-the-best-cheesesteak argument certainly opens the door for many opinions, one unhappy customer took things too far Wednesday.
General manager Tom Francano — who has worked at Pat's for nearly 50 years — told KYW-TV the customer walked up to the window and ordered a cheesesteak.
Then about 10 minutes later, the customer returned with the opened cheesesteak and said, "This steak's garbage," Francano recalled to KYW.
Francano added to the station that he and the customer had a back-and-forth over the sandwich's quality, and then Francano took an informal poll, asking other customers about their cheesesteaks — after which the patrons replied that they were satisfied.
"That's when he got a little pissed off. He got mad, and he picked the steak up and threw it at me," Francano told KYW, adding that he thought the customer might be a social media influencer. "He had this phone on, you know, on a pole, taking pictures outside and everything."
RELATED: Armed South Philly residents guard Columbus statue from vandalism — and leftist mayor, district attorney call them vigilantes, 'criminal bullies'
"I was pretty pissed off, you know. I'm not used to getting a steak thrown in my face, you know. I mean, if you don't like the steak, be a little nicer about it," Francano added to the station in the aftermath.
Shop owner Frank Olivieri told the station he reviewed video showing the customer ripping the cheesesteak apart by hand before approaching the window.
"The guy picked the sandwich up, threw it in his face, and ran away — the coward," Oliveri told KYW.
"He assaulted my employee, so we'll see how many of his friends that he has online are really his friends, see who's going to turn him in first," Olivieri added to the station. "The power of the camera, AI, we'll find him. We'll find him. $5,000, we'll pull him out of whatever rock he's living under right now."
Yes, Pat's offered a pretty penny for information leading to an arrest and charges in the incident, the station said.
But it appears the cash may not have been necessary.
A Philadelphia police spokesperson told KYW that a man turned himself in Thursday and was charged with harassment.
"This whole Streaming for Clout thing is getting out of hand ... stuff like this needs to be stopped," one commenter under the above video stated. "This guy just messed with South Philly ... we don’t forget!"
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[H/T Blaze Media]
