SCRANTON, Pa. — Hank's Hoagies on Woodlawn Street in Scranton was named President Biden's favorite hoagie spot in town when he posted about it on social media in 2016.
The 27-year-old business has a lifesize cutout of Pres. Biden right when you walk in. Owner of Hank's Hoagies, Tom Owens, says the business is always glad to see the president stop by when he's in town, and they hope he'll come by once again, "It's really exciting because, like, he came here when he was a senator. He came here when he was vice president, and now he's president. It's just, uh, it's kind of crazy to think like the President of the United States comes just to our little place here. We're humbled by it," he said.
Pictures from President Biden's previous visits can be seen all around the family-owned spot.
Owen's wife and co-owner of Hank's Hoagies, Lisa Owens, says President Biden has been visiting the spot since they opened in 1997. She remembers the president recounting memories of his childhood years buying goodies when this was a candy shop during Biden's childhood.
"When you speak with him, he's just like a regular person, and he's so kind and just always willing to talk to everyone around. It's just like a regular day, and he talks to everybody that comes in, so we love having him," said Lisa Owens, Co-Owner of Hank's Hoagies.
The Owens say the president's visits are always a surprise, and they'll only know when the Secret Service shows up to prepare for his arrival.
The last time he grabbed an Italian from Hank's Hoagies, his usual, according to the owners, was the morning he was elected president in 2020, "He was here at like ten in the morning. He came in with two of his granddaughters and two hundred of his closest friends because everyone was following him around, and that was really neat," said Tom.
Tom says he thinks the scranton community will be glad the president is visiting Scranton again, "Of course, there's always, there's always people on both sides, but I think it's great for the area."