Patrons at a beloved Pittsburgh eatery were furious on Monday after claiming they were forced to leave before Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrived for a campaign stop.
Several diners enjoying their meals, drinks, and the Pittsburgh Pirates game at Primanti Bros. in Moon, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, said they were abruptly told to leave at 4 p.m.
Mark Dodson of Collier, who was there to catch "the Bucs" game, just wanted a peaceful afternoon.
"I wanted to watch some sports and enjoy an afternoon lunch," Dodson said. Primanti's is famous for its Pittsburgh-style sandwiches piled with sliced meats and fries—a local tradition.
"Around 3:30, the bartender says, ‘It’s last call’—what do you mean last call?" Dodson recalled, confused. He was told a private event was starting soon.
Dodson, familiar with the restaurant business, found the situation odd and sudden.
"They shut down the TVs...so you couldn’t watch the game," he said. "I thought, this is BS—this is a public restaurant. It was kind of mind-boggling to me."
Dodson said he was the last customer to leave. As he reached his car, the lot was empty except for his, and he noticed protesters gathering nearby, many wearing pro-Trump gear.
Video shared by Republican Committee of Allegheny County chairman Sam DeMarco III showed Harris-Walz's campaign bus and several white vans arriving shortly after.
Protesters yelled, "They kicked us out of Primanti Brothers" and "You are terrible people" as the entourage pulled in.
Others accused the campaign of using "actors" after ABC News footage of Harris’s visit showed a full dining room with people eating.
"Holy hell, all these actors in these vans," one man shouted among the anti-Harris protesters.
Amy Smith, a Moon resident, said she was also dining at Primanti Bros. when she was asked to leave.
Smith, aware Harris might be in the area, guessed she’d stop at a nearby Sheetz gas station—a popular spot for candidates heading to Pittsburgh International Airport.