After graduating from Johnson and Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, Rick Pistone gathered cooking experience from several restaurants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. However, little did he know that the person who was hiring him to work at her family's restaurant "The Lobster Pot", in Wawa, would turn out to be his future wife, Cathy.

 

Having grown up in Philadelphia, both Rick and Cathy’s cuisine was heavily influenced by the city. Together, they knew they could make a cheesesteak even better than what it was like back then.

 

Teaming up with their now grown-up children, Caitlin, Mary, and Ricky, they ran their first cheesesteak shop as a family in Newport News until 2008, which was called “Straight Outta Philly”. 

 

Fast-forwarding to 2010, Rick and Cathy alongside their children decided to step into the uniqueness of their perfected cheesesteak sandwich by opening up Rick's Cheesesteak Shop, a total success built entirely by word of mouth. 

 

A Rick’s Cheesesteak is no ordinary sandwich. Unlike other cheesesteak shops, Rick’s gives the customer a large selection of options for their orders, all made with the best steak meat, with portions exceeding the cost to the customers. 

 

Currently, the original Rick’s Cheesesteak Shop resides in Williamsburg, VA, where is still run by the Pistones to this day.

 

Still using authentic Italian rolls, but upgrading to sirloin steak meat, Rick’s cheesesteaks became very popular in the state of Virginia, giving people no reason to drive to Philly. 

 

The original cheesesteak sandwich might have been created in Philadelphia, but it was surely perfected at Rick’s.