After three weeks of the PA Chamber bracket-style contest where voters weighed in on Twitter voting for their favorite PA-made products, Pittsburgh-based Primanti Bros. was named the “Coolest Thing Made in PA.”
The 90-year-old sandwich chain made famous for slathering coleslaw and fries on its sandwiches earned the title last week following a championship round face-off with Schuylkill County’s Mrs. T’s Pierogies. All told, more than 32,000 votes were tallied to determine the final winner, which Primanti Bros. secured in the final round with 53 percent of the total vote.
The restaurant celebrated the occasion by offering free beer to customers at every location across Pennsylvania last Wednesday. PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein visited the Camp Hill Primanti Bros. location to commemorate the company’s victory. He even had the chance to make one of their famous sandwiches!
“Hats off to the Primanti Bros. – not only for the brilliant and hilarious social media posts they entertained us with throughout the contest – but for being crowned by Pennsylvania voters as the ‘Coolest Thing Made in PA’,” said Bernstein. “This contest showcased what makes our state great by highlighting products made and manufactured in our Commonwealth – and the public’s response has blown us away. These last three weeks have left no doubt that Pennsylvanians are passionate about their homegrown products. While this was the first ‘Coolest Thing’ contest we’ve run, we’re just getting started!”
“We’ve known that Primanti Bros. was the Coolest Thing in PA since 1933 – but we’re glad everyone else knows, too,” said Primanti Bros. CEO Adam Golomb. “While it’s an honor to be recognized as a Champion – it’s even more remarkable to consider all the iconic brands, businesses and stories that were born of our Commonwealth. Pennsylvania is full of cool things – and we’re excited to be counted among them.”
“We lost much more productivity following this tournament than we did with the NCAA tournament,” said Tom Twardzik, owner of Ateeco, Inc., the parent company of Mrs. T’s. “We congratulate Primanti Bros. on their win in the Pennsylvania Chamber ‘Coolest Thing Made in PA’ Tournament. It was a close win with our #PierogySquad showing up and voting for us round after round – we are so thankful for all the pierogy love.”
As we prepare for next year’s bracket, we plan to expand to 64 contestants and segment by region and industry. This competition celebrates the commonwealth’s storied history and continued leadership in manufacturing. From the steel that built our nation’s cities, the food that feeds our families, and the cutting-edge technology driving tomorrow’s innovation and exploration – Pennsylvania makes it all. We can’t wait to continue highlighting these and other great PA products.