This article is about the restaurateur. For the model, see Tony Luke. For the restaurant franchise, see Tony Luke's. For the British animator, see Renga Media.
Anthony Lucidonio Jr. (born March 12, 1962)[1] better known as Tony Luke Jr. is an American restaurateur, musician, songwriter actor, and media host who founded the cheesesteak franchise Tony Luke's.
Luke married at age 18 after high school. He went to work with his father, Tony Lucidonio in food trucks and other odd jobs to support his growing family.[2] In the early 1990s Luke, his brother, Nicky, and their father bought a property near the expressway in South Philadelphia. To compete with other local businesses, the original Tony Luke's stand offered a more diversified menu, offering hoagies and other fare, along with cheesesteaks. Luke Jr. soon took over the store's marketing.[2]
Eventually, the business grew to include several locations in the Philadelphia area and a line of frozen sandwiches. Through a partnership with Rastelli Foods Group, the business now has several franchised locations in Bahrain.[2]
He was the host of "Tony Luke's Eaglemania" which aired Saturday nights on Philadelphia's ABC affiliate WPVI-TV[8][9] for a portion of the Eagles' 2010 season.
Using methamphetamine and other drugs as a teenager, he now uses that experience and the fighting and hustling of his youth to tell kids that difficulties can be overcome.[2]
In 2011, after 31 years of marriage, Luke and his wife divorced. He has three sons, who all have worked for him.[2] In 2017, Luke's eldest son, Anthony James Lucidonio III, died in his home from an accidental opioid overdose at the age of 35.[10]
