Airport Restaurant Piles On David Brooks’ Claim He Spent $78 On Meal: ‘Knocking Back Some Serious Drinks’
The New York Times conservative columnist David Brooks got absolutely roasted for tweeting a photo of a burger, fries, and drink with the caption, “This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible.”
Readers “added context” to the post, claiming, “Based on the similar table, glass, chair, sheet and cut of fries, this is the Smokehouse Restaurant in Newark Airport Terminal A. The burger and fries cost $17.”
Sure enough, the restaurant in Terminal A tweeted a snarky response:
“Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks — bar tab was almost 80% and he’s complaining about the cost of his meal. Keep drinking, buddy — we get paid off everything.”
Now the airport restaurant itself is dunking on David Brooks. pic.twitter.com/MYCyoVYbnj
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 21, 2023
On Facebook, the restaurant posted, “The comments on Twitter are hilarious — thanks Dave Brooks for the free publicity — next time use our hashing #Youcantbeatourmeat or prices.”
The incident got a mention in NJ.com. Reporter Amy Kuperinsky wrote:
People immediately speculated about the drink, since it looked like it could well be liquor, which would of course run up a bigger bill than a soda.
Many assumed outright that Brooks had been drinking alcohol like whisky or whiskey, which is a pricy choice for airport refreshment, especially if it’s not just one drink. In that case, a huge chunk of the meal cost would of course be consumed by the … liquid … portion.
There’s also the matter of the type of burger it was — run-of-the-mill or one made from the much more expensive wagyu beef?
Comedian Brent Terhune posted a photo of the infamous Fyre Festival cheese sandwich with the same caption as Brooks.’
Someone else posted a package of beef bologna and a bottle of rum with the caption, “I can’t believe I had to spend $30 at the grocery store just to make bologna sandwiches. Thanks, Obama!”
Still another wrote, “Economy is solid for those moving spirits at the airport.”
