Shay’s Steaks plans to move after settling eviction dispute with landlord

Shay’s Steaks, the Logan Square eatery connected to embattled city judge Scott DiClaudio, will close next week as part of a settlement of an eviction battle with its landlord.

DiClaudio said Friday that Shay’s last day at the Franklin Tower Residences at 16th and Race Streets would be Wednesday.

He said Shay’s was close to signing a lease for a new location several blocks away at the former Federal Donuts & Chicken at 18th Street and the Parkway. A representative of that building, at 1776 Ben Franklin Parkway, did not return a message Friday seeking confirmation.

DiClaudio has long said publicly that Shay’s, which opened in February 2024, is owned by his wife, Jackee, and that he plays only a “supporting role.”

Scott DiClaudio is listed in Nevada state records as the manager of Shay’s Steaks Las Vegas LLC, in connection with a location that opened last spring on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. He also has spoken extensively on behalf of the business in news interviews, and restaurant vendors in Philadelphia have said they communicate directly with him.

The settlement caps a monthslong dispute with his landlord over possession of the restaurant and roughly $49,000 that court documents say Shay’s owed.

In an interview, DiClaudio said the conflict began after a series of window failures at Franklin Tower. He said one falling window damaged his car, while others shattered near or inside the restaurant. He said the relationship with the landlord deteriorated after he pressed the building’s owners to address the problem.

The landlord later accused Shay’s of lease defaults involving documentation for its food license, HVAC service, and grease-trap maintenance, DiClaudio said. He said those issues were cured, but another dispute developed over a large grease interceptor in the building’s sub-basement.

DiClaudio contends that the landlord improperly attributed a roughly $50,000 cleanup bill to Shay’s and folded that amount into what it characterized as unpaid rent.

An attorney for the landlord did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Because DiClaudio is a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, the litigation was assigned to Chester County Court Judge Jeffrey R. Sommer.

Shay’s, which carries the judge’s mother’s nickname, opened 2½ years ago with an upscale take on the Philly cheesesteak, featuring steakhouse cuts including New York strip, prime rib, filet mignon, and American wagyu, along with the traditional ribeye.

Buoyed by stellar Yelp ratings and critical praise, the business expanded in June 2025 with Shay’s Steaks & More at 1526 Sansom St., operated under a licensing agreement with No Name Hospitality. That location closed in May. Shay’s also became a temporary vendor at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

» READ MORE: The best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia

The restaurant dispute comes as DiClaudio faces separate proceedings before the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, including allegations tied to Shay’s.

In one pending case, the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board accused DiClaudio of using the prestige of his office to promote the restaurant and of conduct that the board said brought the judicial office into disrepute. DiClaudio has denied those allegations.

The board has also accused DiClaudio of improper conduct involving Common Pleas Court Judge Zachary Shaffer and a criminal defendant awaiting sentencing.

According to the board’s filing, Shaffer and his clerk went to DiClaudio’s courtroom last June at DiClaudio’s request, expecting to pick up T-shirts they had ordered promoting Shay’s. After a brief conversation, the filing said, DiClaudio asked the clerk to leave the room.

» READ MORE: Courtroom recordings raise questions about judge’s testimony in probe of whether he tried to influence case

DiClaudio then showed Shaffer a piece of paper bearing Shaffer’s courtroom number, a date, and the name of defendant Dwayne Jones, according to the filing. Shaffer later testified before the Board of Judicial Discipline, that DiClaudio said “something along the lines of, ‘You probably would have done the right thing anyway,’” before tearing up the paper.

Jones, a friend of rapper Meek Mill, was scheduled to be sentenced by Shaffer in an illegal-gun-possession case connected to a fatal shooting. Shaffer said he believed DiClaudio was attempting to influence the outcome of the case.

DiClaudio has spoken publicly about his relationship with Mill and their work on criminal-justice reform. In a July legal filing, DiClaudio acknowledged that speaking with Shaffer about the case was wrong but denied trying to influence the outcome, saying he had intended to compliment Shaffer as a judge.

That case remains pending before the Court of Judicial Discipline, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 30.

DiClaudio also faces a separate disciplinary case tied directly to Shay’s. In April 2025, the Judicial Conduct Board accused him of using his judicial position to promote the restaurant, eroding public confidence in the judiciary, and using the prestige of his office for personal gain. He has denied those allegations.

Even amid the disciplinary proceedings, DiClaudio has continued to speak publicly about Shay’s and his relationship with Mill. DiClaudio told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in July that Shay’s named one of its cheesesteaks, the “Dreamchaser,” after Mill.

DiClaudio said Shay’s expects to reopen on the Parkway soon, pending a lease signing and Health Department approval.