Geno's Steaks

Geno's Steaks
Geno's Steaks seen at night in 2007
Restaurant information
Established	1966
Current owner(s)	Geno Vento
Previous owner(s)	Joey Vento (1966-2011)
Food type	North American cuisine
Street address	1219 South 9th St
City	Philadelphia
State	Pennsylvania
Postal/ZIP code	19147
Country	United States
Website	www.genosteaks.com

Geno's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento. Geno's is located in South Philadelphia at the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, directly across the street from rival Pat's King of Steaks, which is generally credited with having invented the steak sandwich in 1933. The cheesesteak has since become a signature dish for the city of Philadelphia. After Joey Vento's death in 2011, restaurant ownership was passed to his son Geno Vento.

According to Vento, the name 'Geno's' was chosen because 'Joe's Steak Place' was already in business. He improvised the name from a broken door on which someone had painted 'GINO' and modified the spelling to prevent confusion with a regional fast food chain called Gino's. Vento later named his own son Geno, who now works in the family business.

Geno's was awarded Best of Philly for Best Takeout by Philadelphia Magazine in 2000. In April 2004, a branch of the shop opened in Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. This location was closed in 2006 and replaced with Rick's Steaks (operated by Rick Olivieri, grandson of Pat Olivieri, founder of Pat's King of Steaks).

On August 23, 2011, 71-year-old owner and founder Joey Vento died of a heart attack.

Geno's menu is very similar to that of Pat's. Geno's does not chop the meat, while Pat's does. Geno's claims to have sold up to 4,500 sandwiches daily.

The walls, roof, and interior of Geno's are decorated with memorabilia and hundreds of autographed and framed photos of celebrities who have eaten there.

A sign on Geno's window gained press notoriety in 2006, during the immigration controversy. The sign reads: "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING Please "SPEAK ENGLISH"." The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations filed a discrimination complaint, arguing that Geno's violated the city's Fair Practices Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodation, by "denying service to someone because of his or her national origin, and having printed material making certain groups of people feel their patronage is unwelcome." Vento had previously said the signs are directed at the Mexican immigrants in the surrounding neighborhood.