by Sofia Salvi and Maddie Lesniewski (8th)
On January 31st, we hit the streets of Conshohocken and visited some of our personal favorite popular places, and asked great employees and managers questions about the establishment.
The three places are:
- Tony & Joe’s Pizzeria, located at 203 Fayette Street
- Pop’s Steaks, located at 101 Fayette Street
- Insomnia Cookies, located at 121 Fayette Street
Tony & Joe’s Pizzeria
Tony & Joe’s is a family-run restaurant that has been serving classic Italian cuisine in Conshy for about 65 years. We talked to one of the managers, Justin, to get some in-look on the iconic pizzeria.
What time of day or year would you say this place is most popular? - “Summer time gets a little busier, right after the holidays it kind of slows down a little bit. For time of day, we do a good lunch, then it kind of slows down. Right around dinner time, it starts to get busy again.”
Who is the target audience? - “We’re very family oriented, we cater to the kids with pizza, and all that. But, our target audience is families, all ages.”
What is the restaurant’s history? - “So, this place has been here actually like 60-65 years. The original owners of Tony & Joe’s owned it for around 30 years, and then they retired and sold it to Maurice, who owned it for the last 30 years. We actually took it over 5 months ago, so we’re very, very new to this.”
What makes this place special? -“It’s been a staple in Conshohocken for 65 years, nothing’s changed. All the recipes have been the same, the people, it’s been the same, we’re keeping everything the same. A lot of the workers have been here 20-30 years so it’s kind of a keystone establishment right here in Conshohocken.”
What do those who currently run the place think of it? - “I am one of the managers here, we also have Giuseppe, he’s another manager, he’s been here 20-some years. But, it takes a team to run this place.”
Justin’s last notes are to come check them out and have some pizza!
Pop’s Steaks
This PA-local restaurant promotes an original Philadelphia experience because it is known for its signature cheesesteaks. We interviewed an employee named Jack, and learned about the shop and how it’s doing, since it is fairly new in the Conshohocken area.
What time of day or year would you say this place is most popular? - “Probably the winter, because cheesesteaks are hot, you know, that’s when you’re most prone to get them.”
Who is the target audience? - “I think anyone who enjoys a cheesesteak. It’s a Philadelphia classic, and a lot of people like it. I think it's just anyone around.”
What is the place's history? - “It’s been since this November, early November, November 7th. Early development, you know we’ve had a lot of new stuff come in. It used to just be a register and you would have to have someone sign a copy. Now, we’ve got a whole system set up, it’s much easier.”
What makes this place special? - “I’d say the people here, I like all these guys. They’re very nice.”
What do those who currently run the place think of it? - “Mark and Nino are my two bosses. (Referencing a picture): These are my two bosses, they’re nice guys. I’m sure they think it’s awesome and are proud of what it has become.”
Jack’s last notes are to come to Pop’s Steaks! He recommends everything, it’s all really good.
Insomnia Cookies
Insomnia Cookies is a chain of bakeries that deliver amazing sweets treats, specializing in, of course, cookies. We talked to the manager of our local Insomnia Cookies, and an employee, Chris.
What time of day or year would you say this place is most popular? - (Manager speaking) “Summertime!”
What people like to come here usually/Who is the target audience? - “Families, parents with kids.”
What is the place's history? - (Chris now speaking) “We’ve been here since 2018, ever since we started getting traction it has gotten pretty popular.”
What makes this place special? - (Manager speaking again) “The area and the people.”
What do those who currently run the place think of it? - “ I am currently in charge of this establishment, and it’s not bad!”
Go check these spots out if you have the chance!