People are still getting Swiss on cheesesteaks, disappointing survey says

Look, you’re entitled to enjoy your cheesesteak any way you want. Go ahead, get the green peppers. Get the mushrooms. It doesn’t really raise our eyebrows anymore.

But Swiss cheese? That’s borderline disrespectful.

According to a new survey (yes, someone studied this) from betting site OddsSeeker, about 13% of people prefer their steak with Swiss. To our knowledge, John Kerry was not a respondent.

The study surveyed more than 850 people, most of whom live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, to find out their cheesesteak preferences. Done in honor of the upcoming National Cheesesteak Day (a totally real holiday, we swear), the survey looks at everything from topping preferences to who makes the best steak in Philly.

That last part is our turf. The Inquirer is currently on a mission to find out who you think makes the best steak in town with our Cheesesteak Bracket that pits 16 popular Philly spots against one another to see whose steaks Inquirer readers love the most. Voting ends April 3.

But you can probably guess who came out on top in OddsSeeker’s survey: Cheesesteak Vegas.

Among respondents who have had cheesesteaks in Philly (why are they taking the survey if they haven’t?), 32% preferred Geno’s, and 17% preferred Pat’s King of Steaks. Jim’s Steaks, which is rebuilding following a fire last year, came in third with 13%.

Geno’s and Pat’s make fine steaks, and they’re popular tourist destinations, so that tracks. But luckily Pennsylvanians were about 76% less likely to prefer Geno’s compared to New Jersey residents, so we know whose skewing the data here.

And according to respondents, Philly has the best cheesesteaks in the country with 60% of the vote — along with New York City (11%) and, somehow, Pittsburgh (4%). New York is known for the somewhat similar chopped cheese, and Pittsburgh is famous for putting French fries and coleslaw on a sandwich and calling it a whole other sandwich (sorry, Primanti Bros.).

So, while we agree with Philly’s placement, we’re not happy about our runners-up. Where is Camden? Donkey’s Place is right there.

Then, there were the toppings. Yes, people prefer onions (78%) and peppers (63%) over pretty much anything else. But somehow nearly as many of those surveyed liked Cheez Whiz (15%) as much as Swiss (13%) as their cheese of choice (American came out on top with 35%).

You have to draw the line somewhere. Cheez Whiz may be for tourists, but Swiss is for roast beef sandwiches and staying neutral during international conflicts.

Oddly, only 18% of respondents said they dip their cheesesteak in ketchup — which we’re betting comes down to terminology. Dipping a steak in ketchup seems uncommon (and less convenient) compared to committing to it and squirting some on the steak. More people (21%) put hot sauce on their steaks.

Ultimately, though, we have to take the advice of John Bucci, third-generation owner of John’s Roast Pork, when it comes to cheesesteak toppings.

“Take it easy. Take it easy,” he told The Inquirer in 2019. “There’s no wrong or right way.”