Lubbock Is Losing Another Local Restaurant

Back in March, I told y'all about an awesome local Philly cheesesteak spot that was opening up a new location.

Ricchezza's Philly Cheesesteaks is owned by Philadelphia natives and they offer an authentic taste of Philly right here in the Hub City. Ricchezza's cheesesteaks are made to order fresh off the grill with caramelized onions, sweet banana peppers and/or jalapeno peppers, and melted cheese.

Ricchezza's Philly Cheesesteaks

It hurts my heart that less than a year later they announce that their last location is closing its doors.

Ricchezza's Philly Cheesesteaks opened up in 2015 just under a tent, cooking on flat griddles, and hauling equipment all over Lubbock and the surrounding counties in 100-degree weather for the first 3 years. Then in 2018, they got a food truck.

A year later in November of 2019 they opened a small brick and mortar on Avenue Q. They opened only a couple of days before COVID hit.

Renee posted to Facebook saying, "everyone knows the story there. This effected everyone badly. Because we were so small we didn't qualify for much relief. But somehow, through God's grace we pushed through and weathered the storm."

Then they hit a couple more hiccups but still made it through. With unforeseen circumstances, she really wanted to make this business work because they have great Philly cheesesteaks.

"I closed and went back into my food truck every day for 4 months to raise enough money to open our location on 4th and Frankford in November of 2020. When restrictions were slowly lifting from Covid we had a really good start. Slowly, we started facing challenges with the economy, logistics, inflation and instability with employees. Being a small mom-and-pop is challenging financially. Limited funding is offered and terms are so terrible. I really depended on the food truck to get through these challenging times. I have put everything into this business, my heart and soul. Anyone who knows me knows I am no quitter," said Renee.

Now posting to Facebook in 2023 saying soon she will be closing her doors again and going back to only having a food truck.

"Recently, I've had some real difficult challenges and situations arise. One of them being that my bank account was hacked that nearly wipped out my account. An investigation is underway. I'm hoping my bank will cover some if not all of the financial loss. I am not the kind of person who divulges my personal business freely.

With that said, in a few short months my tenure at the 4th street location will be coming to an end. I had to make a big decision. I am announcing that we will be closing this location. My apologies to all of those who support us and have followed us over these 8 years from the days under a tent to now," said Renee.

So if you can go check their location at 5707 4th Street. out before they close. She really does have a passion for food and this community. They said they will keep us up to date on what happens next on their Facebook page.