Primanti Brothers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Primanti Brothers
The storefront of the original Primanti Bros. in the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Restaurant Information
Established	1934
Food type	North American cuisine Sandwich shop
Dress code	Casual
City	Pittsburgh
State	Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Website	Offical Website

Primanti Brothers, founded in 1934, is a chain of sandwich shops found throughout Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its suburbs, with an additional two locations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Its signature items are its sandwiches, which consists of grilled meat, a vinegar-based cole slaw, tomato slices, and French fries between two pieces of Italian bread.^[1]

[edit] History

The sandwich is said to have its origins in the city's steel days when blue collar workers needed a hot meal mid-shift that would keep them full all day long. However, the workers had neither the time nor the utensils for such a meal. By combining the sides with the sandwich, a Pittsburgh staple was born. Of course, the restaurant offers a slightly humorous take on it, offering the explanation that the Primanti brothers simply forgot the plates and forks one day. According to the restaurant, Joe Primanti invented the sandwich during the Great Depression. His brothers, Dick and Stanley, later joined him along with John DePriter who was the cook. The Primantis opened their hole-in-the-wall restaurant at Smallman Street and 18th street in the Strip District of Pittsburgh and served the late-night and early-morning workers who were unloading fish, fruits and vegetables.^[2]

It has also been a tradition for the late night crowd to go to Primanti's in the strip district after the bars have closed, due to their hours of operation (at one time they were one of the few establishments open after 2 a.m.). Crowds line up with standing room only, however the cooks prepare the sandwiches at a very fast pace and keep the crowd moving.

The restaurant has evolved to become a casual neighborhood restaurant with 15 Pittsburgh locations, including those found in PNC Park and Heinz Field. There are also two locations in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.^[3]

The restaurant was featured in an article in the August 2003 edition of National Geographic Magazine.^[4]

The Cheese Steak variant of a Primanti Bros sandwich. The AA battery is in the picture as a size reference.

The restaurant was mentioned on the April 21st, 2008 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in an interview with Junior Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Stewart suggested that Obama visit the restaurant for their "great sandwiches", which Stewart had enjoyed as a comedian on the club circuit.