The financial fallout didn’t stop with lost customers. Primanti Bros. also suffered the swift departure of several major sponsors. French Fry Fanatics, the supplier of the chain’s signature crispy fries, was the first to announce they were pulling their partnership.
“We believe in the power of fries to unite people, not divide them,” French Fry Fanatics said in a statement. “Unfortunately, recent events at Primanti Bros. do not align with our values, and we will no longer be supplying their locations.
Next to leave was Iron City Beer, a Pittsburgh staple that had been partnering with Primanti Bros. for years. “We stand with our customers,” read the beer company’s statement. “And if our customers are leaving, so are we.”
By the time the third sponsor, Heinz, followed suit, it became clear that Primanti Bros. wasn’t just losing customers—it was losing everything that made it a Pittsburgh institution.
