Primanti’s Brings True Taste of Pittsburgh to PIT

(Video by Natalie Fiorilli)

Nothing says Pittsburgh more than a sandwich from Primanti Bros.

And now people from around the world will get a taste – literally – of everything the city has to offer at Pittsburgh International Airport.

“It has been a constant question as I travel around the world: ‘Why isn’t there a Primanti’s at the airport?’” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority. “So I’m really happy that when the British Airways flight lands in a little under a month, our English and European visitors will get a chance to understand Pittsburgh right here at the airport.”

With a ceremonial first bite of the chain’s iconic sandwiches, Cassotis and a laughing group of VIPs welcomed the first Primanti Bros. restaurant to open in an airport on Wednesday morning.

She was joined by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Fraport USA CEO Ben Zandi and Primanti Bros. CEO David Head at the ceremony in the Airside Terminal’s Center Core, between Starbucks and Bar Symon.

 

 

“When people land in Pittsburgh, they’ve read about this sandwich, they’ve read about Primanti’s and the great tradition it has and how it really represents Pittsburgh,” Fitzgerald said.

The 2,700-square-foot, 112-seat restaurant actually opened a couple of hours earlier, at 8 a.m., and quickly filled with customers who were greeted by a new breakfast menu featuring breakfast sandwiches served Primanti-style with fries and slaw, plus plates and a la carte items.

The chain will evaluate the response to the menu and consider rolling it out to other locations in the future, company officials said.

The bar is a bit larger than those found in most other locations, and flatscreen TVs can be viewed from virtually any vantage point. A hand-painted mural on the back wall by local artist Dave Klug features local legends, from industry titans and sports greats to Fred Rogers.

“I think it does a great representation of who we are and it captures the soul of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania,” Head said.

For a closer look at the restaurant, see the gallery below.

 

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