Primanti Bros risked boycott from supporters of Republican before it reversed course, blaming ‘momentary confusion’
www.telegraph.co.uk
I haven't tried Primonti Bros yet. There is a store in my area. The comments are blowing up on their Facebook page. Weird.
I don't think it was "momentary". They barred Vance, saying they didn't want a campaign event. Harris had already campaigned there though, so that obviously wasn't true. It was that they didn't want Vance in there, just talking to his supporters. Odd to take such a stance when you just sell food. Why not sell to anyone who comes in? Anyway, Vance was good-natured about it, paid their bills and the customers/supporters went out to talk to him in the parking lot.
"Allegheny County Republican Party Chair Sam DeMarco said Sen. Vance made a stop at the restaurant on E. Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard to pick up lunch. It was spontaneous, but he said a manager wouldn’t let Vance go inside initially and even threatened to call police.
“Senator Vance was absolutely turned away today,” DeMarco said.
Primanti Bros. CEO Adam Golomb sent a statement trying to clarify, basically saying the staff was caught off guard.
The
campaign called a couple of hours ahead of time to order lunch for Vance so he could eat with a few of his supporters before his town hall in Monroeville.
But before Vance even stepped out of his car, DeMarco said Primanti’s manager told them they had to leave and threatened to call police on them if they didn’t leave.
“I believe the manager overreacted, either a misinterpretation or confusion, but she wouldn’t allow the Senator to come into the restaurant,” said DeMarco.
That’s when DeMarco said
the Ohio senator greeted and shook hands with people outside in the restaurant’s parking lot.
“After that he then went in, paid the bill for everybody there, left a generous tip, and then he came out and he was very gracious,” he said.
A video taken by a visitor and later posted to X shows Vance had no hard feelings about the situation."
Videos of Republican Vice President Nominee JD Vance seemingly being turned away from a local Primanti Brothers are growing popular on social media but the business said the candidate was welcome just like any of their other customers.
www.wpxi.com