#SundayYummies — Philly Cheesesteak News
Jim’s vs. Jim’s West: Another Cheesesteak Showdown
Jim’s West original cheesesteak chefs are coming back — while the owners take the name claim issue to court
I was happy to read that “Jim’s West” is returning to West Philly with the original cooks, but sad to see the drama surrounding its return. Victor Fiorillo’s Philadelphia Magazine (FooBooz) article broke things down. Fiorillo said, the new owner of the West Philly location is claiming that “someone” said he could reopen using the original “Jim’s West” name, but the contracts state otherwise. To be fair, I liked both locations. Jim’s West was a family favorite when I lived in West Philly. We loved our neighborhood steak shop and was sad when it closed in 2019. I immediately ran to the Springfield location, but that was many moons ago and now it’s too far from my new home. I’ve been searching for a good cheesesteak ever since.
In July I wrote about how my cheesesteak quest brought me to the Black Chef Showdown hosted by Black and Mobile and Katika. Trademark names and family legacy are serious business. Initially, I didn’t agree with Victor’s advice to “just change the name already”, but now I think he might be right. Sadly with the aggressive fast pace of Philly’s gentrification — most loyal, nostalgic old heads (like me) who knew the original “Jim’s West” are gone (by choice, force, or the circle of life).
At the end of the day — real Philly cheesesteak lovers like me don’t care about the name — we just want good steaks. With the original cooks, it seems like the new owner already has an advantage. I say let Jim keep his name and West Philly’s new owner create his own legacy and claim to fame. He could call it The Original West’ Best Cheesesteak or something like that. You know how Philly folk nickname er’thang. I mean we call the Phillies The Fightens — we’ll just call the old Jim’s West the Ooh Wee Bes’ Cheesesteaks. Or maybe he should partner with Black and Mobile and Katika to help him rename it…
I hope things work out for both owners because really good cheesesteaks are hard to find.
Thank you for reading.
