Quaker Steak & Lube
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Casual dining |
| Founded |
Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States (1974) |
| Founder |
George "Jig" Warren III, Gary "Moe" Meszaros |
| Headquarters | Sharon, Pennsylvania |
Number of locations | 62 (61 in the United States, 1 in Canada) |
Area served | North America |
| Website | TheLube.com |
Quaker Steak & Lube is a casual dining restaurant chain based in Sharon, Pennsylvania. The original restaurant was built in 1974 by George "Jig" Warren and Gary "Mo" Meszaros in an abandoned gas station in downtown Sharon, and decorated with license plates and old automobiles. Originally a "cook-your-own-steak" establishment, Quaker Steak's signature dish is now its chicken wings and the variety of sauces used to season them.
The name is a play on that of the motor oil company Quaker State.
History
In 1974, gas stations across the country were closing in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis. George "Jig" Warren III and Gary "Moe" Meszaros came up with the idea of preserving the culture of old gas stations and high-powered muscle cars. They opened Quaker Steak & Lube, initially a "cook-your-own-steak" restaurant that showcased old muscle cars. The original location included a 1936 Chevrolet on the original hydraulic grease rack.[1]
Locations
As of 3 April 2014, there are 62 restaurant locations, with five additional locations scheduled to open soon (in VA, NJ, TX, LA, and PA). The majority of the current locations operate in eastern Ohio and western and central Pennsylvania. Locations do, however, span the United States including one location outside Denver, Colorado, one in Clearwater, Florida, one in Sulphur, Louisiana, and two Texas locations in League City and Plano.[2] There is also a Quaker Steak & Lube location inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Wing sauce
The restaurant is known for its chicken wing hot sauce flavors, which are depicted on the Scoville scale. The hottest flavor is the "Triple Atomic Sauce", which is made from the ghost pepper. The Atomic flavor is sold individually in a dropper bottle sealed in an oversized childproof prescription container. Customers must sign a liability waiver.[3]
| Flavor | Scoville units[3] |
|---|---|
| Triple Atomic[4] | 500,000 |
| Atomic | 150,000 |
| Super-Charged (formerly "Suicide"[5]) | 30,000 |
| Buckeye BBQ | 5,000 |
| Cajun | 3,870 |
| Hot | 3,000 |
| Dusted Mango Habanero | 2,550 |
| Arizona Ranch | 2,050 |
| Golden Garlic | 2,030 |
| Haut Parm | 1,935 |
| Thai 'R' Cracker | 1,850 |
| Dusted Salt & Vinegar (Discontinued as of May 2011) | 1,500 |
| Medium | 1,440 |
| Thaisian (New for 2011) | 1,400 |
| Premium Garlic | 1,300 |
| Louisiana Lickers | 1,220 |
| Fiery BBQ | 1,190 |
| Tequila Lime BBQ (Discontinued) | 1,150 |
| Boom Boom | 1,130 |
| Asian Sesame | 930 |
| Dusted Chipotle BBQ | 900 |
| Parmesan Pepper | 870 |
| Mild | 740 |
| Honey Mustard (Discontinued) | 310 |
| Smokin' Texas BBQ Lite | 110 |
| Dusted Tex Mex Ranch | 100 |
| Smoky Gold BBQ | 90 |
| "Original" BBQ | 90 |
| Ranch | 90 |
Awards
As of 2009, the chain has won over 100 awards.[6]
Media
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania location was featured in the Travel Channel series Man v. Food.[7] The episode's challenge was to consume six "Atomic" chicken wings, at the time the strongest wings on Quaker Steak's menu.[7] Host Adam Richman completed the challenge in the allotted time and was awarded a commemorative bumper sticker and a place on the restaurant's "Atomic Wall of Flame".[8]
References
- ↑ "Quaker Steak & Lube - History". Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Quaker Steak & Lube - Locations". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Quaker Steak and Lube menu" (PDF). Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ↑
- ↑ The News Now Network » Quaker Steak Caves To Community Complaints
- ↑ "Quaker Steak & Lube - History/awards". Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Quaker Steak & Lube featured on Travel Channel". Youngstown Vindicator. December 16, 2008.
- ↑ Rozwadowski, Thomas (January 8, 2009). "Viewers win battle of "Man v. Food"". Green Bay Press-Gazette.