Pat’s King of Steaks Offers Seeded Roll Option

At Pat's King of Steaks in South Philly, your cheesesteak will soon look a little different with a seeded roll option.

The business has announced the launch of a limited-time "new school" cheesesteak. According to a social media post, the new style uses a custom Aversa Italian Bakery seeded roll with steak, cheese, and onions melted together, replacing the classic separate-layering on a non-seeded roll.

The business noted that while customers have requested seeded rolls for their cheesesteaks, the restaurant will still provide the traditional non-seeded, layered style for those who prefer it.

The "New School cheesesteak style" is available for the next month at the shop window 24/7 and on Goldbelly, according to the Pat's King of Steaks website.

CBS Philadelphia noted that Frank Olivieri Jr. manages the business. The shop opened in 1930 at 1237 E. Passyunk Ave., at the intersection of South Ninth and Wharton streets, in South Philadelphia.

According to PhillyVoice, Pat's King of Steaks claims to have invented the cheesesteak when its patriarch, hot dog seller Pat Olivieri, prepared a steak sandwich for lunch one day and sold it to a cab driver. Oliveri and his brother, Harry, co-founded the restaurant in 1930. They passed it to Harry's son, Frank Olivieri Sr., in 1968, and onto Frank Jr. in 1996. 

"This winter's weather hasn't been great for city businesses, so it's a good chance to shake things up and break our own rules," Olivieri said to the PhillyVoice. "Also, I lost my father, and out of respect for him, he always wanted to serve the cheesesteak a certain way, so we kept it classic. But now that he's gone, we decided to offer both ways, old school and new school."