JD Vance turned his back on the sandwich shop in Pittsburgh

A sandwich shop took advantage of an unannounced visit from JD Vance and turned away the vice presidential candidate during a campaign stop.

The senator attempted to gain entry to Primanti Bros. in North Versailles, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but was rejected by the staff because he was alarmed by the sudden arrival of his entourage.

The 90-year-old company then changed course and served Mr. Vance and his team. It avoided boycott threats from customers in the store who wanted to meet Donald Trump’s vice president.

Mr. Vance then told supporters outside in the parking lot that the store and its employees were innocent, calming any tensions. Pennsylvania is a key swing state in the November election, and the last thing Mr. Vance – or the restaurant for that matter – will have wanted is a riot over a sandwich in a state where every vote counts.

He said: “The manager just freaked out a bit because there were a lot of people there and she didn’t want to make her restaurant part of a campaign stop.

“We went in there. We paid for everyone’s food. We gave them a nice tip. And of course when I gave them a nice tip I said, ‘No taxes on top’.”

Reassuring his followers, he added: “It’s fine. Don’t hold it against her. She just got a little nervous. It’s a great local company. Keep supporting it.”

“Our doors are open to everyone”

In a statement, Primanti Bros said the restaurant is proud to be “an integral part of the Pittsburgh community and a proud American company that has hosted sitting presidents, politicians and political candidates from across the spectrum for over 90 years.” Our doors are open to all guests who would like to dine with us.”

The statement continued: “Without prior notice, today’s campaign stop caused temporary confusion among our employees. However, Senator Vance and his team were soon welcomed into our restaurant and communicated with our guests inside and on the property.

“Senator Vance’s supportive comments that our manager became somewhat nervous in the face of the Secret Service, police and crowd accurately reflect the nature of the incident, and we are pleased that the issue was quickly resolved.”

The “temporary” refusal to serve Mr. Vance and his team threatened to cause an uproar.

Before the situation was resolved, a customer posted a video online suggesting that Primanti’s was facing a boycott.

In the video, the woman said: “The kitchen team is running out because everyone is canceling their orders… We only pay for what we drink and then everyone leaves.”

“Unfortunately Vance can’t get out of his car and shake our hands because the Primanti Brothers don’t want him here.”