Norm K.
Yelp
I was underwhelmed by my stop at Tony Luke's. I had to go to the Rio box office. I looked at the area where the wonderful buffet had been and looked at the replacement--so sad and disappointing.
On my way to leave for a play nearby, I stopped for dinner at Luke's. There are three ways to order--if there's someone at the register, you can order with them; above the register, a cardboard sign with a QR code hangs. You can scan the QR and place your order that way; finally, you can order at one of two ordering panels on the casino side of the food hall.
There was a person at the register working with something on the floor. I asked him if I could order from him and he said he'd take my order. He would not win any congeniality award. After ordering, I went to pay using Apple Pay. Like many such terminals, you can't pay until you do the tip thing. I selected the amount I wanted, paid, and then was given a paper printout of my order to sign. Use CARE here. The sheet they give you get has a blank for tip and then the total line. If you're not careful, you may tip twice. As one of those poeple who is getting very tired of the tipping explosion, I'm getting to the point that I have no trouble pressing the no tip option. Just be aware of this. The sheet they give you has a spot you sign to make the purchase "official" I guess. Most Apple Pays don't require signing.
I had not seen the sign Pick Up Here because I was in a different spot. I took a seat and waited for my name to be called. When it wasn't, I got up and went to the other side and saw the pick up sign. I watched as the cook made a couple of cheesestaeks. He puts a frozen rectangular shaped slab of pressed beef about 1/4 inch thick on the grill. After the grill has heated enough, he breaks down the slab with a spatula. For me, he put a long slice of provolone on the grill, put the meat on top, and then placed it in the bun. Another employee, a very pleasant woman, wrapped the sandwich and hande dit to me.
The thing about this is it's the same thing I do to make cheesesteaks at home only instead of a rectangle, my frozen beef comes in an oval. Two of these in a pan, some heat, and I can break it apart and then stir it around to cook the beef. I use more provolone but that's my preference. For $17.69 with tip and tax, I can make four sandwiches at home not counting the cost of the rolls and it would be as good or better than Tony's.
I sat and ate my sandwich. I had opted for some fried onions. There were a few, but they didn't add to the sandwich. This is a definitely a one and done place. It's good Tony stayed in South Philly or he may have ended up in the Roundhouse when it was used.