Phoenix is getting another Charley’s Philly Steaks in the near future. According to a recent building permit found in city public records, the Ohio-based hot sandwich chain is replacing the McDonald’s currently found inside the Walmart Supercenter at 1825 Bell Road.
The 2,025 square-foot space is already built out to support a fast-food service, so no major construction will need to be done for the new tenant, save for some minor plumbing, electrical, and mechanical changes. Based on our source, it’s likely that Charley’s Philly Steaks will be ready to serve north Phoenix Walmart shoppers by Spring 2022.
Charley’s Philly Steaks originated in Columbus, Ohio in 1986. As the story goes, Charley Shin had his first Philly cheesesteak sandwich as a result of a wrong turn on a family trip to New York City. From that point, Shin convinced his mother to sell her Japanese-Korean restaurant to help him start Charley’s out of a 450 square-foot shop across from Ohio State University, where he studied.
Shin made a point to turn the grill around and have it face the customer, so that they could always see their food being cooked, which became a trademark of the company ever since. Now, Charley’s cheesesteaks and other grilled sandwiches are usually seen as a staple at many mall food courts. Representatives for Charley’s Philly Steaks could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. For more information, visit www.charleys.com.
