A small Maryland restaurant has found itself at the center of a viral food frenzy. The Original Rocky’s Pizza Cascade & Creative Kitchen, located in Cascade, MD (Washington County), sold out of cheesesteaks multiple times this past week after a Facebook post praising their “true Philly-style” sandwich took off in the popular local group The Frederick Fatty.
The now-viral post by Matt McKenzie read, “Had to post this cheesesteak I got tonight from The Original Rocky’s Pizza Cascade & Creative Kitchen. The best around! Coopers cheese, Liscos roll, and absolutely slammed full of meat! You have no idea what a cheesesteak should taste like until you have had one of these true Philly style behemoths! You gotta get them when they have their special otherwise it’s the regular cheesesteak with provolone.”
The post spread rapidly among Frederick County food lovers, sending crowds north to the longtime Washington County pizza shop. The surge was so strong that the small family-run restaurant was forced to close early on several nights due to running out of ingredients. Rocky’s shared on Facebook, “After the post in Frederick Fatty Tuesday, yesterday and today here was completely out of our control. Last night I was home after 4 a.m. and tonight I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to go home.”
The owners thanked their customers for the overwhelming support, explaining that as a small operation with just two people in the kitchen, they were doing everything they could to keep up. “If yesterday was a war zone, today was… a catastrophe or whatever is worse than a war zone,” they joked in a follow-up post. “We were sold out of steak, Cooper, and many other items… we’ll have to open later tomorrow, probably around 2 p.m.”
Rocky’s clarified that the viral cheesesteak special featuring Cooper cheese and cheese whiz isn’t always available. “We’re a small little restaurant so we don’t have the space to offer it all the time,” they wrote, noting that the standard cheesesteak comes with provolone.
Located across from Fort Ritchie, The Original Rocky’s Pizza has been serving the Cascade community since 1982, continuing a legacy that began with the family’s first restaurant in Smithsburg in 1977. The owners pride themselves on their authentic Italian recipes, homemade dishes, and now, their internet-famous cheesesteaks. The restaurant summed up the whirlwind week in one sentence that any small-town favorite could relate to: “We do our best… but it’s crazy here this week.”
