Primanti Bros.

Primanti Bros. (/prɪˈmænti/, locally /pər-/), sometimes called Primanti's for short, is a chain of sandwich shops in the eastern United States. Since its Pittsburgh founding in 1933, Primanti's has become a cultural icon of the region. The chain is known for its signature sandwiches made of grilled meat, melted cheese, an oil and vinegar-based coleslaw, tomato slices, and French fries between two thick slices of Italian bread.[1]

Primanti Bros.
The storefront of the original Primanti Bros. in the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Restaurant information
Established1933
Owner(s)L Catterton
Food typeNorth American cuisine sandwich shop
Dress codeCasual
CityPittsburgh
StatePennsylvania
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°27′2.55″N 79°59′8.12″W
(original Strip District location)
Other locations41
Websitewww.primantibros.com
Primanti Bros. sandwich
TypeSandwich
Place of originUnited States
Region or statePennsylvania (mainly western)
Created byPrimanti Bros.
Main ingredientsgrilled meat, melted cheese, an oil & vinegar-based coleslaw, tomato slices, and French fries (on the sandwich) between two thick slices of Italian bread

During the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards, Primanti's was named as one of "America's Classic" restaurants.[2]

History

In 1933, the first Primanti's opened at 46 Eighteenth Street in Pittsburgh's Strip District, a busy area along the Allegheny River. At the time, the Strip District was a major industrial center in Pittsburgh, filled with factories, warehouses, and shipyards. According to the restaurant, Joe Primanti, was born in suburban Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, and eventually invented the restaurant's sandwich during the Great Depression. His brothers, Dick and Stanley, later joined him. The Primantis opened their restaurant at the corner of Smallman and Eighteenth Street in the Strip District, which still stands today. The restaurant primarily served the late-night and early-morning workers who unloaded produce in the area.[3]

The tradition of the signature sandwiches (typically ordered by number from a "menu" listed on a large chalkboard) was to combine the sandwich and side of fries with grilled eggs forming a binding unit. Taken straight from the grill and into a hoagie bun, the sandwich was then wrapped in a sheet of newspaper and sold. The sandwich's design and packaging was designed to reduce spillage.

With the passing of Stanley Primanti in the early 1970s and John in 1974, Dick decided to sell the business to Jim Patrinos in 1975. Today, there are 16 Pittsburgh locations, including at the city's major sports venues PNC Park, Acrisure Stadium, and PPG Paints Arena, as well as several other locations throughout the eastern United States.[4]

In recent years, it has become tradition for Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft Picks to visit the original Primanti Bros. location in the Strip District upon their arrival to the city. Notable picks include 2017 NFL Draft first- and second-round picks, T. J. Watt, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as 2019 NFL Draft first-round pick, Devin Bush Jr.

Sports-themed specials

The chain expressed its support for the Pittsburgh Penguins during their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in their 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, releasing two limited-time sandwiches in their honor. The 2016 sandwich honored the Penguins' third line, Carl. Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel,[5] and was named the "HBK Sandwich". Late into the 2017 season, the chain then introduced the "Canadian Pitts-Burger", honoring goaltender Marc-André Fleury during his final season with the Penguins. The Canadian bacon sandwich was available at all Primanti Bros. locations for a limited time.[6]

Locations
Primanti Bros. location in Oakland

Primanti Bros. locations are found throughout Pennsylvania, particularly in and around Pittsburgh. In addition to other Pennsylvania locations, restaurants have been established in Florida, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Michigan and Indiana.[7][8]

Reception
The Primanti Bros. Pitts-Burger sandwich. The AA battery, used as a size reference, is 2 inches (5 cm) tall.

The restaurant and its signature sandwich have been featured in several national publications and television shows, including National Geographic magazine,[9] Man v. Food,[10] and Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America. Primanti Bros. made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's list of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die in the USA and Canada",[11] and their sandwich is a featured Pittsburgh landmark on Yinztagram.[12]

The restaurant was mentioned on the April 21, 2008, episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in an interview with Senator Barack Obama. Stewart suggested that Obama visit the restaurant for its "great sandwiches", which Stewart had enjoyed as a comedian on the club circuit.[13]

An ESPN.com rating of PNC Park mentioned that the stadium's "best [concession] item is the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich, a Pittsburgh institution", and granted this "signature concession item" an exuberant score of "5+++" (out of 5). This helped PNC Park to achieve its overall #1 ranking in the feature.[14]

Credit card lawsuit and settlement

On March 9, 2011, U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone approved a settlement between Primanti Bros. and a customer in response to a lawsuit over the content of credit card receipts. In the suit, the plaintiff, Nora Hoxha, claimed that the restaurant's credit card receipts revealed too many, if not all, of the digits of a customer's credit card number, a violation of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. As part of the settlement, the restaurant agreed to provide affected customers with a free menu item and a side dish or non-alcoholic drink. The restaurant also agreed to make a donation of $25,000 to the Carnegie Museums and pay up to $62,000 for the plaintiff's attorneys' costs.[15]

References
  1. Primanti Bros. Archived 2016-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, Pittsburgh Restaurant Reviews, About.com.
  2. "The James Beard Foundation Awards". The James Beard Foundation. 2007. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  3. "Our Story". PrimantiBros.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. "Locations". PrimantiBros.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. "Primanti's honors Penguins' HBK line with sandwich". Tribune–Review. Trib Total Media. May 19, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  6. "In honor of Marc-Andre Fleury: Primanti's Pitts-Burger goes Canadian". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. Briggs, James (January 29, 2016). "California Pizza Kitchen to be replaced by sandwich shop at Circle Centre". Indy Star. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  8. Strauss, Chris (October 24, 2014). "Pittsburgh's famous Primanti's sandwiches can now be shipped anywhere in the U.S." USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. Kadushin, Raphael (August 2003). "15222: Come Hungry". National Geographic: 114–122. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  10. "Man v. Food in Pittsburgh". Man v. Food. The Travel Channel. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  11. "Travel Briefs: 1,000 more places to see before you die". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 10 June 2007.
  12. "Yinztagram By Pegula". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  13. "Barack Obama Pt. 2". The Daily Show. Comedy Central. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  14. Caple, Jim. "Pittsburgh's gem rates the best". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  15. "Primanti to provide free sandwiches to settle suit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
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