Primanti Bros., a well-known Pittsburgh sandwich chain, faced public backlash over the weekend after abruptly canceling a campaign event for Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance.
The event was scheduled to take place at the North Versailles location on Saturday, but when Vance and his team arrived, they were denied entry by the restaurant staff, leading to calls for a boycott from some of his supporters.
JD Vance, for his part, remained diplomatic during the incident.
Speaking to his supporters from the parking lot, he avoided criticizing the restaurant and instead focused on encouraging his supporters to stay positive.
“The manager just freaked out a little bit because there were a lot of people, and she didn’t want to make her restaurant part of a campaign stop,” he said.
Vance also highlighted that his team paid for the meals of everyone inside the restaurant and left a generous tip for the staff.
“It’s a great local business. Keep on supporting it. And most importantly, on November 5th go vote. Let’s go win this thing,” he concluded, urging his supporters to focus on the upcoming election.
The Post Millennial (TPM) reported that Vance’s team had arranged the event with Primanti Bros. ahead of time, and the store had initially approved the campaign stop.
When the day arrived, however, the staff reportedly refused to allow him inside, claiming they had not been informed about the event in advance.
Customers inside the restaurant who had gathered to meet Vance were left waiting, as the candidate was forced to hold an impromptu meeting with supporters in the parking lot.
Footage from inside the restaurant, widely circulated online, shows Vance supporters criticizing the restaurant’s decision.
One video features a woman claiming the store’s manager threatened to call the police if Vance attempted to enter.
The restaurant’s kitchen crew began to panic as customers canceled their orders in protest, according to the woman.
“The kitchen crew’s running out because everyone’s canceling their orders,” she said in the video, claiming that many supporters had already left after paying for only their drinks.
Another frustrated supporter posted a video outside the restaurant, saying, “So we are here at Primanti Brothers… to see JD Vance, and Primanti’s hates money.”
The woman expressed frustration over what she described as a significant financial loss for the restaurant.
“They lost about two grand worth of money because they said if Vance gets out of the vehicle… they will call the police,” she added.
Despite the incident, Vance’s team informed TPM that the candidate picked up the tab for everyone inside the restaurant.
This gesture appeared to have little effect on appeasing his supporters, who remained upset over the restaurant’s refusal to host the campaign event as planned.
In response to the controversy, Primanti Bros. issued a public statement on social media, explaining the confusion surrounding the event.
“Without any advance notice, today’s campaign stop caused some momentary confusion for our staff,” the company wrote.
“However, Senator Vance and his team were welcomed into our restaurant shortly after and engaged with our guests inside and on the property.”
The restaurant’s statement, however, did little to quell the frustration among Vance’s supporters, many of whom had already left the establishment in protest before the candidate was allowed inside.
Videos from the scene showed supporters gathering in the parking lot, with some calling for a boycott of the sandwich chain.
The post JD Vance Saves Face Amidst Pittsburgh Sandwich Chain Controversy, Conservative Boycott Calls appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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