WATCH: J.D. Vance Has Classy Response After Iconic Restaurant Refuses To Let Him In
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance attempted to stop by the iconic Primanti Bros. restaurant in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, where scores of supporters had gathered in anticipation of the visit. Upon arriving, the restaurant manager told Vance that they didn’t want to hold a “campaign event” in the store, even though the same location cleared out customers to stage a photo op for Vice President Harris earlier this year.
An employee told the campaign that this was “not a campaign stop” and that “JD’s not allowed in.” In addition, the restaurant manager threatened to call the police if Vance entered the establishment.
Trump-Vance supporters who had gathered at the restaurant and proceeded to boo the manager after Vance was barred from entry.
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Sean Logue, an attorney from the Pittsburgh area who witnessed the interaction, uploaded several videos from inside the store to social media.
“I’m like right by the Primanti Brothers near McKeesport. I wanted to document what happened because there’s some confusion about exactly what took place. Long story short, a whole bunch of people from Allegheny County, myself, others, we got two Premanti Brothers about 12.45, they let us in,” Logue explained. He added that half the crowd was dressed in Trump gear while others were dressed normally.
“J.D. Vance’s SUV pulls up, Secret Service comes into the restaurant, Secret Service guards the area between the SUV and the entrance to the restaurant. J.D. Vance, he gets out, and then the manager runs out and yells at him and says, you can’t come in here,” Logue continued.
He then reported that the manager called company headquarters and was told that Vance was not allowed in the building.
I will now post all Primanti Brothers videos from today. They absolutely banned JD Vance from their restaurant. #PrimantiBros pic.twitter.com/SfPFzIcUdA
— Sean Logue (@SeanLogue18) September 28, 2024
Vance then proceeded to meet with supporters in the parking lot, while a staffer told people inside to write down their names so that the vice presidential nominee can meet with them the next time he comes to town.
“We went in there, we paid for everybody’s food, we gave them a nice tip. And of course, I told them, ‘no taxes on tips” if you vote for Trump,” Vance told the crowd, drawing cheers.
.@JDVance picks up the tab for everyone!
NO TAXES ON TIPS! pic.twitter.com/giJAO46FrB
— Taylor Van Kirk (@taylorvankirk) September 28, 2024
This is a video of the hospitality @primantibros provided to everyone waiting for @JDVance pic.twitter.com/fdyzxQWtOn
— Anissa Zappala (@anissa_zappala) September 28, 2024
The Trump Campaign’s had a far different experience at the restaurant when compared with the Harris-Walz Campaign, who visited the location last month. According to several patrons, restaurant staffed kicked out paying customers and replaced them with Harris supporters in an effort to make the campaign stop appear organic.
“I wanted to watch some sports and enjoy an afternoon lunch,” Moon Township resident Mark Dodson told Fox News. “Around 3:30, the bartender, she goes, ‘It’s last call’ – what do you mean last call?”
Employees then informed patrons that the restaurant was closing for a “private event,” which turned out to be the arrival of Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff. The couple then proceeded to greet “patrons” and pose for photos.
Primanti Brothers is owned by Authentic Restaurant Brands.
Last month Primanti Brothers kicked out all their patrons and brought in paid actors when Kamala Harris was visiting their restaurant.
Today, Primanti Brothers stopped JD Vance from entering their establishment after… pic.twitter.com/Gn5gl3WAGh
— The Liberal Lampoon (@Liberal_Lampoon) September 28, 2024
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