Olde City Cheesesteaks and Brew — New York City

Some credit ingenuity for their success. Others have a gift for leveraging new opportunities. Evan Stein ’93 owes his success to both, spinning his entrepreneurial drive and persistence into new business opportunities — and seeing the opportunity in the bumps along the way.

The soccer player from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, was recruited by Lafayette and Colgate, but Lehigh head coach John McCloskey swayed him, and Stein ultimately enrolled as a journalism major. Unlike his friends who studied engineering and accounting, he wasn’t as clear about his career path. What he was certain of was his love of sports and the social scene. “It was some of the best years of my life,” he says.

Ingenuity meets opportunity
Stein had an entrepreneurial drive that made it difficult to find satisfaction in the jobs he landed after graduation. He bounced around, working in finance at Merrill Lynch and Bloomburg, but kept moving, eager to find the right match. In 2000, he began working at DoubleClick, an online ad company in New York City. There he sold “annoying pop-up ads'' and realized the business model was highly profitable and one he could easily replicate. 

One short year later, he left DoubleClick and started his own company, hiring young talent. His business grew to 80 employees by the time he was 30. The growth prompted a publicly traded company to make Stein an offer that allowed him to sell the business, take some time off, and travel while he considered his next move.

Passion meets possibility
After enjoying the variety of food options in abundance in New York, Stein realized that his passion for his hometown’s food could thrive as a business in New York. Growing up outside Philadelphia, he was a fan of the classic Philly cheesesteak and couldn’t find a comparable one in NYC.

He first opened Shorty’s in 2006, and it quickly became a popular destination not only for cheesesteaks, but also for roast pork with broccoli rabe. He brought in authentic ingredients from the Philadelphia area to ensure his product met South Philly expectations.

Over the course of 12 years, he opened four more Shorty’s locations. Stein now admits that he knew nothing about the restaurant business except that he loved to eat and have fun. Regardless, it resulted in a profitable model. But the next natural step was to find more opportunities to expand, so he began considering partners that might allow the business to reach new heights. In 2016, he reached out to a friend in finance and some investors and brought in new people intended to help the brand grow. 

It backfired. The relationship soured quickly, and Stein reluctantly made the decision to leave his beloved Shorty’s brand in 2019.

Brand ambassador
Stein was hesitant to jump back into the restaurant business. He insisted that if he was going to try again, he would need the right partners behind him. In 2020, he found some major investors who agreed to support him and his new Olde City Cheesesteaks and Brew brand. 

In the past 15 months, Stein has opened three Olde City Cheesesteaks and Brew locations in NYC. As luck would have it, he even ended up back in some of the same locations he previously occupied under the Shorty’s brand. As Stein opened the second Olde City location and announced a third was on the way, Shorty's shut down for good. He is already on the hunt for a fourth location on the Upper East Side and has big plans for growth in and around NYC, potentially including franchising.

Stein insists his success is rooted in his passion for the brand. He says that while he has spent money on marketing, his most successful tactic has been going door to door and giving out free drink cards and menus to doormen in the neighborhood. “In my experience, I can’t imagine growing a business without going door to door screaming from the rooftops who you are. […] I’m the brand’s biggest ambassador.”

Continued support
“I’m in love with the restaurant business,” Stein declares, recognizing that not a lot of people would enjoy the hustle and grind of the industry. He feels at home at Olde City, surrounded by “rabid Eagles fans” every Sunday and serving great Philly food in New York City. 

He values the support from loyal customers and old friends. Coach Dean Koski recently brought a busload of Lehigh soccer players to Olde City to try some Philly favorites during a trip for an away game. They indulged in classic cheesesteaks with wiz, fried onions, and — Stein’s recommendation — a long hot Italian pepper. Stein also recommends the roast pork special with broccoli rabe and Cooper sharp cheese, served with homemade onion rings.

The journey from Lehigh to Shorty’s to Olde City gave Stein a new perspective on how to run his business, placing more emphasis on choosing the right partners. He’s proud of the way he rebounded after leaving Shorty’s. “I came back stronger and with more experience and better people.”

“Nothing is easy,” says Stein. “And I don’t take it for granted.”