Weirton welcomes Primanti Bros.
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WEIRTON -- Area residents no longer have to drive too far to get a taste of a Pittsburgh icon.
After months of waiting, Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar officially opened its newest location Thursday, with a crowd lined up throughout the night to be among the first customers to get their hands on the restaurant's "almost famous" sandwiches, pizza, wings and more.
As part of the festivities, Primanti Bros. invited residents to begin lining up at 5 a.m. Thursday in an effort to be among the first 100 to enter the restaurant, also earning free sandwiches for a year. Some, though, arrived Wednesday evening, setting up camp in the parking lot shortly after a special VIP pre-opening celebration.
During Wednesday's event, Ryan Wilkinson, vice president of marketing, relayed the history of Primanti Bros., which traces its roots to 1933 when Joe Primanti operated a sandwich cart, and later a storefront, in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
They became known for putting the traditional side of fries, along with cole slaw and slices of tomato on every sandwich, in an effort to help out the shift workers and delivery drivers who, otherwise, had difficulties stopping to eat their meals with both hands.
Wilkinson noted, when looking to place a new restaurant, Primanti Bros. often looks for communities with similar backgrounds.
"We are looking at cities with hard-working people," he said. "Weirton is the perfect place."
The Weirton location was announced in January by local developer and property owner Jesse Krieg, who said discussions with the company began in 2021. Primanti reportedly had looked at seven locations in the region before selecting Weirton.
Ryan Blair, head coach for the Weirton restaurant, Wednesday said they were blown away by the amount of enthusiasm shown for the chain coming to the community.
"The amount of excitement has been staggering," Blair said, noting the restaurant received 550 applications from area residents, hiring 93 to become part of the restaurant's team. "We're really excited to be here."
That excitement was reflected by area officials, who offered thanks Wednesday night to Primanti Bros., as well as Three Springs Holding Group, for making the project possible.
City Manager Mike Adams noted Weirton has been seeing a great deal of development in recent years, including the ongoing construction of Form Energy's planned battery manufacturing facility in the city's north end.
"We had more calls about Primanti coming to Weirton," Adams said.
Wilkinson noted the restaurant is looking to form partnerships in the community. Wednesday's event, for example, also served as a fundraiser for Comfort House, a division of CHANGE Inc. which offers support and advocacy to children who are alleged victims of abuse and neglect in Hancock and Brooke counties. The restaurant also is among the sponsors of this year's Christmas on Main Street Gingerbread House contest.