Facebook Founder Stakes a Claim in the Philly Cheesesteak War
Anyone in, around, or adjacent to Philadelphia knows about the Cheesesteak War. It is pitched on the streets of Brotherly Love, fought with fried onions and Cheez Whiz, and has fierce camps of loyalists ready to valiantly defend their side’s honor. The heart of the Cheesesteak War is waged on the corner of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, where the two biggest titans in the war – Pat’s and Geno’s – duke it out silently, their proximity daring patrons to take a stand: who makes the best cheesesteak (one of the sterling symbols of Philadelphia) in the city? Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a stand when visiting the city recently, visiting one of the two restaurants for what he audaciously deemed “the best cheesesteak in the land.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Philly to eat “the best cheesesteak in the land.”
Zuckerberg checked in on Facebook at Pat’s King of Steaks and had a photo snapped of him as he ordered six sandwiches from the shop for himself and the group with which he was visiting. “Traveled all the way to Philadelphia for the best cheesesteak in the land,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post. According to the Philly Voice, Zuckerberg placed his order like a native, too: “Mikey Boninfante, night manager at Pat’s, told Philly.com that Zuckerberg paid $66 in cash for six cheesesteaks with Cheez Whiz and fried onions. Boninfante told the publication that Zuckerberg ordered the correct way, too – “Whiz wit.”
Boninfante said that he was surprised by the encounter. It was a “normal” night at Pat’s following an Eagle’s win, he recounted, when he called for the next customer and there was the Facebook founder. He called the encounter “surprising.” Zuckerberg then sat down with his group at one of the outdoor tables to enjoy their dinner.
It was unclear why Zuckerberg was in Philadelphia, although it was known that he was in the Kentucky and West Virginia area to talk to students about developing tech projects. Zuckerberg said that this year he would like to connect with people in all 50 states.
