Screpesi’s Sandwich Shop in Reading, Pennsylvania—founded in August 1949 by Joseph and Stella Screpesi—has delighted locals for over seventy-five years with fresh food, friendly service, fair prices, and a proudly simple, memorable menu.
Joseph Screpesi
Humble Beginnings
The first shop opened its doors at 500 Lancaster Avenue, Reading, a location that remains the flagship store today. Their daughter Mary helped them in those early days, laying the foundation for what would become a family-run business spanning multiple generations.
Screpesi’s 500 Lancaster Ave
In time, Joseph was joined by his brothers Anthony and Frank, with the trio expanding into the restaurant business. In October 1957, the Screpesi brothers—Anthony, Frank, and Joseph—opened Screpesi’s Bar and Restaurant at 347 North 8th Street. Later, they also operated Screpesi’s Restaurant at 501 Lancaster Avenue, which served the community well into the 1980s. Frank and Anthony also co-owned A&F Screpesi’s at the northwest corner of 13th and Douglass streets, making the family name well-known in Reading’s food scene.
Screpesi’s 501 Lancaster Ave Ad
800 North 13th Street, former Screpesi’s location
347 North 8th Street, former Screpesi’s Bar and Restaurant
A Simple, Distinctive Menu
From the start, Screpesi’s set itself apart not by the length of its menu, but by the quality of its offerings. Customers could choose from a handful of cold sandwiches—Italian, ham, turkey, and tuna—or hot options like steak and meatball sandwiches. Each sandwich carried a distinctive twist: butter on the roll in addition to mayonnaise. It may sound unusual to outsiders, but locals quickly came to love it. As one family member later explained, “Don’t knock it until you try it.” The combination, paired with fresh bread and quality ingredients, earned Screpesi’s a loyal following.
Growth and Challenges
Over the years, Screpesi’s became woven into Reading’s daily life. It wasn’t just a place to grab a sandwich; it was a neighborhood fixture. By the 1970s, however, the shop also shared in the struggles of urban life. In 1978, the shop at 228 South 11th Street was among several city businesses affected by robberies. Still, the family persevered, and the Lancaster Avenue shop remained the heart of the business.
Sadly, the founding generation of brothers gradually passed on. Anthony Screpesi died in 1974, followed by Joseph in 1991 and Frank in 2008. Yet their legacy lived on through their children and grandchildren, who continued to nurture the business with the same devotion.
Grandchildren, including Eddie Ostrowski and Patti Kissinger, stepped forward to keep the family tradition alive. Ostrowski officially took over the Lancaster Avenue shop in 2005, committed to maintaining the same values his grandparents had instilled.
Expansion into Berks County
For decades, customers wondered if Screpesi’s would ever expand beyond Lancaster Avenue. The answer came in 2015, when the family opened Screpesi’s South at 1365 Alleghenyville Road in Knauers, Brecknock Township. True to tradition, the new shop opened in late August, 66 years after the original debut.
Screpesi’s, 1365 Alleghenyville Rd. Mohnton
The opening was met with enthusiasm—“off the charts,” as Ostrowski described it. Customers lined up from the first day, and by the end of the opening rush, 150 sandwiches had been sold in just a couple of hours. Locals like Debra Hartranft, who worked across the street, admitted they were so excited they called the original shop to find out the exact opening date. For her granddaughter, hearing the news was as exciting as being handed money.
The new shop carried the same Screpesi’s Sandwich Shop sign, but offered a slightly fresher and fancier interior. The century-old building, once a stagecoach stop between Reading and Lancaster, was renovated while retaining charming features like its pressed-tin ceiling. Yet, despite the new look, the menu stayed the same. As Ostrowski explained, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
A Family Legacy
Today, the menu remains deliberately small—five cold sandwiches, three hot, plus pizza and salads—because the family believes consistency is key. Customers know what they’re getting, and they come back for it time and again.
As Kissinger proudly put it, “We do things the Screpesi way.” That means sandwiches built on fresh bread, layered with real mayonnaise, and topped with the family’s secret ingredient—butter on the roll.
From its modest 1949 beginnings to its two thriving locations in Reading and Knauers, Screpesi’s has endured because it never strayed from its roots. For Reading residents and Berks County locals, Screpesi’s isn’t just a sandwich shop—it’s a taste of tradition, family, and hometown pride.
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