Sen. JD Vance, the Republican pick for vice president, may have missed out on a Pittsburgh staple Saturday after he was initially turned away from the Primanti Bros. in North Versailles, but it seems there’s no hard feelings.
Photos and videos posted to social media, including by a reporter from NBC News, show Vance interacting with a small crowd outside the sandwich shop after his surprise visit went awry.
The NBC reporter wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “a restaurant worker told the press that cameras were not allowed and they did not want a ‘campaign event,’” leading Vance to interact with voters in the parking lot instead.
Despite some online outrage, including calls to boycott Primanti’s, Vance left on a conciliatory note.
“We paid for everybody’s food, we gave them a nice tip and of course, when I gave a nice tip, I said no taxes on tips,” Vance said, referring to a proposal favored by both presidential candidates. “It’s all right, don’t hold it against (the worker). She just got a little nervous, but it’s a great local business. Let’s keep on supporting it.”
Primanti’s CEO Adam Golomb also downplayed the situation in an email to TribLive.
“Without any advance notice, today’s campaign stop caused some momentary confusion for our staff,” Golomb said. “However, Sen. Vance and his team were welcomed into our restaurant shortly after and engaged with our guests inside and on the property.”
A follow-up question about whether Vance ordered a sandwich was not immediately answered.
In August, the chain allowed the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign to reserve its location in Moon Township. Online rumors swirled that the event was staged, with white vans full of actors being brought in to play diners.
Snopes investigated these claims with help from a TribLive reporter who was at the restaurant that day, finding no “credible evidence of involvement” from paid actors.
