Primanti Bros faces boycott after barring JD Vance from approved campaign stop in western PA

The Pittsburgh-based sandwich chain Primanti Bros. is facing boycott calls after it abruptly canceled a scheduled campaign event for Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance at one of its locations.

Vance's team had previously arranged for him to speak at the North Versailles store on Saturday and the sandwich shop had initially approved the campaign stop. However, when the day came, staff reportedly refused to let him inside, stating they had not been informed about the event in advance. Paying customers were inside asking to meet Vance but he was denied entry and resorted to speaking with his voters in the parking lot.

Footage from inside the restaurant showed many of Vance’s supporters criticizing the store’s decision, with some calling for a boycott. One video captured a woman alleging that the store's manager told Vance's team they would "call the police if [Vance] comes out [of his car]," according to a report from the Daily Mail.

“The kitchen crew's running out because everyone's canceling their orders,” the woman claimed, adding that supporters left after only paying for their drinks.

Another supporter posted a video while leaving the restaurant, frustrated by the treatment of Vance. “So we are here at Primanti Brothers...to see JD Vance and Primanti's hates money,” she said. The woman continued by saying that the store lost about “two grand worth of money because they said if Vance gets out of the vehicle that he's in...then they will call the police.” Vance picked up the tab for everyone inside, the campaign told The Post Millennial.

In response, Primanti Bros. issued a statement on social media explaining that the event had caused confusion for the staff due to lack of prior notice.

“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.”

Vance, addressing the incident when he spoke in the parking lot, remained diplomatic and refrained from criticizing the restaurant. “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.

He further explained that his team paid for the meals of those inside and left a generous tip. “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 added.