PHOTOS BY KRISTY LOCKLIN

As a lifelong resident of the Steel City, I can attest that there’s nothing more yinzer than eating a cap-and-cheese made by Toni Haggerty (Primanti Bros. soul sister) while hearing screams from Phantom’s Revenge.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh restaurant chain began serving its signature fries-and-slaw-topped sandwiches from a Lost Kennywood stand. The walk-up eatery features a scaled-down menu of its best-sellers, plus site-exclusive chicken tenders, loaded fries and funnel cake fries. 

Sorry, but you’ll have to go to the Beer Garden across from Arrow 360 to enjoy a brewski with your “Almost Famous” meal.

Haggerty, who, despite having a whale of a time giving Kenny Kangaroo a lesson in sammich-making, says her home base will always be the Strip District Primanti Bros. location.

“She’s our Kenny Kangaroo,” says Adam Golomb, Primanti Bros. CEO.

For the record, it was 90 degrees and humid on Monday. That poor, silent marsupial had to stand in Primanti Bros. walk-in freezer after grilling with chatty Haggerty all afternoon. 

Representatives from the two ‘burgh institutions talked about joining forces several years ago, but the pandemic hit like a Thunderbolt. 

Once they revived the idea, it only took six weeks to come to fruition. The company runs the Kennywood stand, as it does with similar set-ups at PNC Park, Acrisure Stadium and PPG Paints Arena.

Golomb says he’s happy they waited, as both businesses are celebrating big anniversaries in 2023: 90 years for Primanti Bros. and 125 years for Kennywood. Both Haggerty and the Potato Patch have been French frying for five decades. (Look for an article about Kennywood’s iconic spuds soon!)

Now that I’ve reached an age where the park’s food is the main attraction, I was overjoyed to fill up on fries and slaw before riding the Jack Rabbit.

A word of advice: Digest before hitting that double-dip.