Editing Philippe's (section)

===French dip sandwich===
[[Image:French-dip-sandwich.png|thumb|left|A Philippe's French dip]]
{{See also|French dip sandwich}}
The origins of the French dip sandwich have been debated for many years. [[Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet]] also claims to have invented the sandwich in 1908. There are three versions of how Philippe's French dipped sandwich originated:

* In 1951, Mathieu told a ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter, "One day a customer saw some gravy in the bottom of a large pan of roast meat. He asked me if I would mind dipping one side of the French roll in that gravy. I did, and right away five or six others wanted the same." He quickly ran out of gravy. "But," he said, "it put me wise." The next day he had a gallon of gravy ready, but so many people wanted dip sandwiches that he still ran out.<ref name="latimesmag" />
* An alternative explanation bases the invention in frugality. A fireman came into the restaurant when there were leftover rolls, which Mathieu would use up, although they were stale. The fireman complained that the roll was dry, so Philippe dipped it in ''[[au jus|jus]]'', basically to get rid of the customer. This alternative is plausible since Mathieu may have preferred to credit a customer rather than waste a stale roll.<ref name="latimesmag" />
* The most common story is that Mathieu accidentally dropped a roll in pan drippings, and the police officer who had ordered the sandwich agreed to eat it anyway. This explanation is less likely, since the "happy accident" theory of food origins is typically used when there is no alternative explanation.<ref name="latimesmag" />

Originally, Mathieu referred to this as a dip sandwich. The restaurant was colloquially known as "Frenchy's", which eventually developed into a "French dip sandwich".