Frank Palumbo

Frank Palumbo was a restaurateur, local celebrity, humanitarian and power broker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He is best known as the owner of Palumbo’s, an entertainment complex in South Philadelphia, Nostalgia’s Restaurant and the legendary Click Club. In the city, he is still widely known for his philanthropy: donating animals to the Philadelphia Zoo, helping build youth programs and funding parades. He has been called "a supporter of politicians, ordinary folk and animals."

Palumbo expanded a boarding house his grandfather, Antonio Palumbo, had started in 1884 into an entertainment complex. His restaurant and clubs served as an unofficial "political nerve center in Philadelphia."

In the 1940s and 1950s, Philadelphia was an important pop music center, with many bands and singers being made or broken in the city at Palumbo's clubs.

Palumbo became well known for philanthropy throughout South Philadelphia. Disturbed by an article critical of the area, singer Mario Lanza penned a response which identified Palumbo as an unsung hero of the city. Lanza lauded Palumbo for taking thousands of orphans to the circus, arranging parades for visiting celebrities and buying animals for the zoo.