Jon Waxman, a 1983 Cheltenham High School graduate, has been with Lee’s Hoagie House in Abington since he was 16 years old.
In September 1982, Waxman took a part-time job helping out at the original shop on Cheltenham Avenue. Little did he know that 41 years later he’d be in charge of an Abington staple.
“I went there all the time when I was a kid, so I was big fan before I even became an employee,” he said.
Waxman’s debut as a Lee’s owner came in 1990 when he took an opportunity to buy 50 percent of the business. Ten years later, he became the Abington shop’s full owner after purchasing his partner’s share as well as the brick-and-mortar property.
A Temple University grad and active entrepreneur, Waxman opened up a Lee’s Hoagie House in Blue Bell in 2004, which he sold in 2013. In 2006, he bought Casual Catering on Mt. Carmel Avenue, and sold it in 2011.
“I also bought the Lee’s in Horsham in 2008, and in 2014 I opened a Lee’s at Temple University. My son Josh bought that in 2019, and he closed in 2020 after all the riots and the effects of the pandemic,” Waxman said.
As a regular presence in the greater Glenside community, Waxman still sees a lot of familiar faces from his Cheltenham days.
“I’m still friends with a bunch of my classmates. I see a lot of them coming in and out of the shop, even those who moved away. They’ll stop in when they’re visiting home for the holidays. It’s nice to see people like that,” he said. “I loved my years at Cheltenham. I really enjoyed them and felt that we were very lucky. I don’t think I saw one fight in four years. We got along with everyone. We’re having our 40th class reunion next month.”
An Abington Police Athletic League (PAL) board member, Waxman and Lee’s Hoagie House sponsored this year’s Robert J. Allen, Sr. Memorial Scholarship.
“We like to do a lot of stuff in the community including the National Night Out that happens all across the country. We’re involved with local schools, local programs, youth leagues, and things like that. It’s important to stay involved in the community,” he said.
As of 2014, there were as many as 15 Lee’s Hoagie House locations in the tristate area. Today, there are 10. The Upper Dublin Township resident at one time owned and operated five of them, and now that he’s down to two locations in Abington and Horsham, the hoagie aficionado has a simple plan for the future.
“Retiring is my next plan. I’m in my 42nd year, and we’ll see what happens from here,” he said.
To listen to Waxman’s 2019 interview with WWBD-AM’s Philly Business Spotlight Hour, you can click here. To watch a clip of Waxman’s testimonial of the Philadelphia Franchise Association, you can check out this video:
For more on Lee’s Hoagie House, located at 1656 Old York Road, you can visit their Facebook page and website.
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