OK, this isn’t about the Specials’ song. This is about a local sub chain. Or maybe it’s not a chain. I have no idea. My world is upside down. Well, OK, not really. But my interest is piqued. (It’s like the Vincent’s Pizza saga.)

I grew up frequenting two Rudy’s locations… the one in Monroeville, and the one in Holiday Park. Two of my aunts worked at the one in Holiday Park. I took taekwondo lessons a few doors down in the 80s. We’d frequent the one in Monroeville if we were out by where my dad worked. I had always assumed the one in Monroeville was the original, and the others just came later.

There were ones in Penn Hills & McMuarry for a bit that I dined at, too. They all seemed very similar. Threads taught me today that there was one in Braddock Hills that I never knew about. Are there any others that I’m missing?

Rudy’s Subs in Monroeville seems to have the best website, as rudyssubsmonroeville.com redirects to https://rudyssubsmonroeville.getbento.com/. It does not mention any other locations. It seems like the Holiday Park one is open & has a Facebook Page… but no website of its own.

Then, I also just learned about the Rudy’s in Swissvale. Bruh seems adamant that he is the original Rudy making subs around here. Is it connected to all the other similarly logo-ed Rudy’s? The name is listed differently on a few sites, but it looks like it may officially be Rudy Martino’s Original House of Submarines. Again, no real website, but they are on Google.

When I think of subs in Swissvale, I think of the Triangle. My dad used to bring home a Battleship for supper occasionally. Also, Uncle Sam’s & Peppi’s top the list for a great sandwich… And Carhop’s. They had a few locations and are back to one, too. I’m getting sidetracked here, though.

Does anyone know the Rudy’s story? Is there animosity between the Holiday Park & Monroeville locations? What happened to all the other ones? Is either connected to the Rudy’s in Swissvale.

Am I going to have to write some emails and Facebook messages to do some sleuthing? I did ask Gemini, Perplexity, & ChatGPT… but their answers are dubious.

So, spill it if you know what’s up! Drop your favorite Rudy’s locations & orders (or other favorite sub shops) in the comments! I always liked the Rudy’s cheeseburger sub, cheesesteak, and the Italian. I’d get breaded mushrooms from the one in Holiday Park a lot, too.