Diners at a Pittsburgh culinary landmark were angered Monday after they claimed they were forced out of the restaurant before Democrat Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris arrived for a weekend campaign stop.
Several patrons who had been enjoying drinks, food, and a Pittsburgh Pirates game on TV at Primanti Bros. in Moon, Pennsylvania, on Sunday said they were forced to leave the restaurant at 4 p.m.
Diner Mark Dodson of Collier stated he was only in the area to enjoy “the Bucs”—the Pirates’ nickname—and wanted a quiet day.
“I wanted to watch some sports and enjoy an afternoon lunch,” Dodson said, as Primanti Bros. is known for its signature Pittsburgh-style sandwiches, served in a tower of sliced meats and French Fries — a custom in the city.
“Around 3:30, the bartender, she goes, ‘It’s last call’ — what do you mean last call?” said Dodson, adding the employee stated there was a private event at the top of the hour.
Dodson, who said he is familiar with the restaurant business, said the whole situation seemed sudden.
“They shut down the TVs … so you couldn’t watch the game,” Dodson said. “I said, this is BS — this is a public restaurant. It was kind of mind-boggling to me.”
Dodson said he was the last patron to ultimately leave the premises and that when he got to his car, it was the only one still in the lot — he noticed an increasing presence of protesters lining the other side of the street, many wearing pro-Trump attire.
Video shared by Sam DeMarco III, Republican Committee of Allegheny County chairman, showed a Harris-Walz campaign bus and several white vans appearing shortly after.
The protesters began shouting, “They kicked us out of Primanti Brothers,” and “You are terrible people,” as the entourage arrived at the scene.
Others accused the campaign of employing “actors,” as the ABC News video of Harris’ visit depicted a full dining room with customers enjoying their food.
“Holy hell, all these actors in these vans,” a man shouted among the anti-Harris demonstrators.
Another patron, Amy Smith, who lives in Moon, said she was also at the establishment for lunch when she was among the patrons who were told to vacate.
Smith also said she heard Harris would be in the area and predicted she would—and did—stop at a Sheetz gas station nearby, which is popular with candidates on their way to Pittsburgh International Airport.
She stated she saw two blue Harris-Walz buses arrive, followed by a white bus with no decal. Democrat Representative Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who represents the suburban area, was spotted also joining Harris at the event.
Smith said she arrived for lunch at about 2:50 p.m. After she was told to leave the restaurant with the other patrons, she said Harris didn’t arrive until after 6 p.m.
Other local notables who reportedly joined VP Harris on her day-long swing through western Pennsylvania included retired Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis and Democrat Senator Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania.
A video from Primanti Bros., an ABC News affiliate, showed Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, greeting patrols inside.
Harris-Walz’s visit to the gas station also met with criticism
Harris’ Sheetz gas station visit was also viewed with criticism as Harris stopped for some Doritos before leaving the region.
The Biden-Harris administration is suing the gas-and-convenience chain based in Altoona for allegedly discriminating against applicants in violation of civil rights law.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) cited Sheetz’s use of criminal background checks in the hiring process as the reason behind the violation.
GOP lobbyist David Urban drew attention to the aspect on X and shared an image of Harris inside the Sheetz station, captioned, “Apparently, Kamala Harris forgot that the Biden Harris Administration is suing Sheetz for requiring criminal background checks of their employees when she visited for some snacks yesterday.”
However, after the debacle at the Primanti Bros., DeMarco appeared to try to lower the temperature toward the mainstay in Pittsburgh, saying to allow the eatery some slack.
“Oftentimes, campaigns rent out a place of business for a private party or a particular event. Perhaps that’s what happened here? Anyway, I like a good Primanti Bros. ‘hot & cheese’ sandwich, so let’s cut them a break.”
DeMarco gave one caveat and quipped that if Republican Senator JD Vance or former President Donald Trump aren’t given a similar “affirmative” response if they ever ask to stop in, “I’ll let you know.”
