JD Vance gets a cheesesteak at Pat’s

U.S. Sen. JD Vance wanted to know why Pat’s King of Steaks didn’t have Swiss cheese.

“I don’t like Swiss cheese either … Why do you guys hate Swiss cheese so much, what’s the story?” the Republican vice presidential nominee asked at the counter Monday afternoon.

Following a campaign stop in North Philadelphia, Vance headed down to Pat’s for a cheesesteak.

“He asked about why we don’t have Swiss cheese,” said Pat’s manager Sammy Garcia with a laugh. “We thought that was funny.”

Candidates ordering a cheesesteak during their visits to Philadelphia is a longtime election season tradition, but it doesn’t always have positive results. As a presidential candidate in 2003, former U.S. Sen. and Secretary of State John Kerry ordered a steak with Swiss cheese, resulting in a heavily covered culinary gaffe. (”Swiss cheese, as any local knows, is not an option,” Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan wrote at the time. “The Massachusetts Democrat may as well have asked for cave-aged Appenzeller.”)

Vance did not suffer that same fate and instead ordered a whiz wit — or, for non-locals, a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and fried onions.

During his remarks at DiSorb Systems Monday, Vance mentioned he would be getting a cheesesteak following the event. He did not respond to an Inquirer reporter’s question about what cheesesteak shop he would be visiting.

Vance didn’t linger long at the South Ninth Street institution, where he was whisked away about an hour ahead of his rumored arrival time.

“He was pretty cool though, he was nice to us,” Garcia said. “Tipped us well.”

Last year, former President Donald Trump visited Pat’s after appearing at a Moms for Liberty summit. Trump also made a cheesesteak stop in 2016, but at Geno’s across the street. Earlier this year before rallying in North Philly, Trump stopped by Tony and Nick’s.

Not every Vance fan was able to get a glimpse of the GOP candidate Monday, including Maureen Fratantoni of South Philadelphia.

“I think he’s going to do a good job,” Fratantoni said of Vance as she waited for a cheesesteak while donning a MAGA hat embroidered with Trump’s signature. “He’s younger, he has a lot of energy, and he wants to do good.”

Megan Heaton, also a South Philadelphia resident, was finishing lunch while explaining that she liked Vance for tough-on-crime stance — a posture she believes local prosecutors aren’t taking.

She came to Pat’s with her friend Oz Sultan, a GOP district leader from New York City. Both had missed Vance, a candidate they hope will address their concerns about inflation and the economy.

“Sixteen dollars,” Heaton said, in disbelief over what she paid for her cheesesteak.

“I remember in 2010, it was a bigger cheesesteak, too,” Sultan said.