Popular Restaurant Chain More Than 90 Years Old Closing Locations
It's always sad to see a restaurant chain close locations, and that's especially the case if it's a chain that's been around for decades.
Now, a popular restaurant chain that's nearly a century old is closing locations, but the good news is that they'll still have plenty of spots open.
According to a report out from WTAE News out on Monday, April 9, Pittsburgh-based Primanti Bros. has closed two of its local locations: one in Monroeville and the other in North Versailles.
"Sometimes the consumer demand changes, and the market changes from area to area, so we just felt it was the right time for that. It was not a decision that we took lightly," CEO Gerald Pulsinelli said of the closures, according to WTAE. "We certainly saw some traffic decline in both those locations over the past couple years."
But, on the bright side, Pulsinelli said that both locations will be reopened as new restaurants.
"The first one in Monroeville will be opened as a Thorn Hill tap room," Pulsinelli commented. He added that there's a location in Wexford, "and then, the second location in North Versailles is actually going to open up as a Smash Pub. They have a Smash Shack on East Ohio Street."
These aren't the first Primanti Bros. locations to close this year. According to the report, the Camp Hill and Lancaster locations in south central Pennsylvania also closed.
The Story of Primanti Bros. and Its 90-Plus Year History
The origin of Primanti Bros. goes back to the Great Depression, when Joe Primanti started selling sandwiches from a humble cart in Pittsburgh's Strip District. From there, he launched an official storefront in 1933 to serve food to truck drivers and workers.
The brand is famous for its signature sandwich, which has French fries and vinegar-based coleslaw on top to make it stand out. The story of that sandwich is that Joe's nephew, John DiPriter, fried potatoes to check if they were frozen and began piling them on sandwiches, which turned out to be a delicious meal.
Primanti Bros. still operates 37 locations, according to research from the Pittsburgh Gazette.