Who owns Jim's West steak house? Philly restaurant hires machine-gun toting guards as city descends into chaos
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The owner of Jim's Steaks in Springfield, Delaware County, Carl Proetto, filed a request for an emergency injunction against the establishment he had previously sold to co-owner Cortez Johnson after Jim's West's grand opening.
Jim's West in West Philadelphia has remained in the news since its grand reopening in early September owing to its famous cheesesteak, legal dispute with the previous owners, and significant adjustments to its hospitality.
In response to the City of Brotherly Love remaining overrun by drug-addled homeless zombies, the Philadelphia cheesesteak eatery has reopened for business with guards armed with assault rifles, as per Daily Mail.
The city has been overrun by drug-related violence under Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner, a self-proclaimed "progressive prosecutor."
Jim's co-owner Cortez Johnson told WPVI that he wants his customers to feel safe visiting the store because violence is still a problem in Philadelphia.
Jim's West serves Philadelphia's most controversial cheesesteak
Co-owner Johnson spoke with Eater Philly about how he's been handling the successes and difficulties of running what has now become Philadelphia's most contentious cheesesteak restaurant after several weeks of making headlines.
The first Jim's Steaks in West Philadelphia opened its doors in 1939 at 431 North 62nd Street, which is still the location of Jim's West today.
Major expansions and changes in ownership occurred over the years: William Proetto and his brother bought the original location in 1966, opened another on South Street, then one in Northeast Philadelphia (which closed in 2017), and finally opened their most recent location in Delaware County in 2009, which is still open today—two years before Proetto died.
Johnson acquired the West Philadelphia location earlier this year from the Proetto Sons and has already obtained the necessary permits from the Department of Licenses & Inspections.
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The company has recently reopened after having been shut since 2019.
Philadelphia cheesesteak joints have long been places where the neighborhood can gather over delicious, greasy food, but now it has to happen under careful surveillance.
Jim's West Steaks in West Philadelphia has new heightened security measures
Customers are seen lining up to get sandwiches while being watched by highly armed security guards in a video from the reopening of Jim's West Steaks & Hoagies in West Philadelphia on Sunday, September 17.
Johnson told WPVI, "The violence has spiked. It goes up and down. You want people to feel safe and be safe. So when they come out and eat, they don't have to worry about no type of harm."
The armed personnel will be on duty from Thursday through Sunday during the shop's operating hours.
The proprietors further said that they hoped the presence of armed guards would deter crime in the neighborhood while preventing it from happening inside the premises.
CFO of Jim's West Saul Landers said, "Our lines are down the block, so while you're standing here in line, connecting with other people you may not know, we have security right here just to keep you guys safe."
Owner of Presidential Protection Services Kevon Darden claimed that everyone employed in security at the well-liked eatery has a "military, police and law enforcement background."
Customers who appreciated the necessity of the new, stricter security measures included Mario Maiale, a local, who said: "If it deters it, I can't complain. I'm not a big fan of guns, but I get it."
Another customer, William King, however, expressed concern over the city's reputation after learning that a nearby gas station had also made news for hiring AR-15-toting security personnel.
According to police, homicides have decreased by 20% in Philadelphia since 2022, which saw the city's second-highest murder rate ever following 2021, per the New York Post.
However, data from the city controller's office, eight of those murders happened within a 10-block area near Jim's West Steaks & Hoagies.