Business
WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER AWESOME SELF MADE STRATEGIES HUSTLE STORYIn this short podcast clip, you will hear about how Tony Luke, Jr., hired a friend to dress up as an ostrich, to run around giving out Ostrich Meat Cheesesteaks - a viral marketing campaign that received national attention. You can hear more with him on this week’s Self Made Strategies podcast.ABOUT THE SMS HUSTLE STORYThis is the Self Made Strategies Hustle Story about Anthony Lucidonio, Jr. (a/k/a Tony Luke, Jr.). He is an American entrepreneur, restaurateur, actor, TV personality (way back on Prism, among other appearances on Spike TV, Amazon Prime, etc.), musician, media host and (NOW) an anti-addiction-stigma activist. Make sure you tune in this Thursday, wherever you listen to your podcasts, to hear Tony’s episode on the Self Made Strategies Podcast.ABOUT TONY LUKE, JR.Tony co-founded the cheesesteak and sandwich franchise Tony Luke's. Almost everyone who knows the name, knows that. BUT, did you know that cheesesteaks are just a tiny part of Tony Luke's story? In the early 1990s Luke, his brother, Nicky, and their father bought a property near the expressway in South Philadelphia, where no one (at the time) wanted to build anything in that area, to open a small sandwich shop. To compete with other local businesses, the original Tony Luke's stand offered a more diversified menu, initially offering roast pork sandwiches, hoagies and other fare, but no cheesesteaks. Soon thereafter, PhillyMag ranked Tony Luke’s as BOTH the best Roast Pork sandwich AND the best Cheesesteak in Philly. That doubled their business almost overnight and led to Tony Luke taking over the store's marketing.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 worldwide, including in Bahrain.Tony Luke’s would turn into a household name, and Tony Luke Jr would become the face of the franchise: starring in TV and radio commercials, facing off with Bobby Flay in a “Throwdown,” and even getting his own show on Spike TV (“Frankenfood”). Long before his father even had the thought to build a sandwich shop, Tony Luke Jr had already lived multiple lives: from being a rough-and-tumble South Philly kid (sneaking into a luncheon for the cast of Rocky II), to a budding film star, to almost scoring a record deal as the lead singer of an R&B band.Fasten your seatbelt, as you listen to an amazing tale with some high highs, but some equally harsh lows. PRODUCTION CREDITS:The Self Made Strategies Hustle Story is a SoftStix Productions LLC jawn. Tony Lopes produced, edited, and hosted this episode. This episode was recorded on location in Tony Luke's Philadelphia Area Studio. Self Made Strategies is also sponsored by Lopes Law LLC (www.LopesLawLLC.com).FOLLOW US ON:• https://www.facebook.com/selfmadestrategies/ •• https://twitter.com/SelfMadeStratGs •• https://www.instagram.com/selfmadestrategies/ •• https://www.linkedin.com/company/self-made-strategies/ •