President Obama and Vice President Biden receive their cheeseburger lunch orders at Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia.
(NEWSCOM)Photos (1 of 1)
Barack and Joe go to White Castle … I mean, Ray’s Hell Burger
By Linda Feldmann | 05.05.09
The Daily Guidance from the White House said “12:30 lunch in Oval Office, closed press.”
But now we know better. By “we,” I mean the White House press corps, where this reporter had pool duty Tuesday.
Those wild and crazy guys at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue summoned the motorcade, and off we went across the Roosevelt Bridge into Arlington, Va., to Ray’s Hell Burger — a joint so new it still doesn’t have a sign up.
Obama and Biden entered through the front door. The press pool — yours truly included — entered through the back. At least Barack and Joe didn’t pull rank and cut the line: The leaders of the free world, all spiffed up in suits and ties, stood patiently with the regular lunch crowd, waiting their turn.
Obama then looked toward the pool and said, “Who’s taking orders here? My treat to the pool.”
“Who wants a burger?” Obama said.
Then, to Caren Bohan of Reuters: “You’re in charge of taking everybody’s orders.”
Some declined, but others didn’t want to seem ungracious, so we ordered burgers. (Note: The five of us who did order are making a donation to charity, in lieu of attempting to reimburse POTUS. Caren noted that Obama has fed the press before, such as during the campaign, when he bought ice cream.)
While Obama and Biden waited in line, the lunch crowd stood and gawked, some took pix with cell phones. The two guys in line ahead of them studied their menus, oblivious to who was behind them.
When Obama and Biden reached the front, Obama greeted the two order-takers. A guy named Tim Murray took Obama’s order.
There’s still some debate among the press about exactly what Obama ordered, since it was hard to hear. He definitely had a burger. I heard him say “basic cheeseburger, medium well.” But someone else heard him say “Swiss mushroom burger.” A TV sound guy says he ordered a cheddar burger — and he’s got the best sound equipment, so I’m going with that. He definitely asked Mr. Murray for “spicy mustard, if you have it.” There may have also been talk of tater tots. Clearly, we’re all destined to be flawless witnesses next time we wind up in court.
Then Obama took an order for his body guy, Reggie Love, and relayed the press’s order as well.
“These are to go, ‘cuz you guys aren’t gonna have tables.” Then: “We’re paying, or these people [the pool] are gonna write about how we’re free-loading.”
Obama pulled out some bills and paid, putting a $5 bill in the tip jar.
Biden ordered a Swiss cheese burger with jalapeno peppers. Biden paid for his order separately, with cash. He also got some food to go.
Then Obama said to the pool: “You guys are cheap dates. I can’t believe I couldn’t get more of you to order a burger.”
Obama and Biden sat at a table and had their lunch, while the pool waited outside. At 1:05, they emerged. Crowds cheered as Obama stood on the running board of his limo and waved.
Motorcade back at White House at 1:14 pm. Obama and Biden emerged from the same limo. No doubt they were prepping for the next event on their calendar — a closed-press meeting with President Shimon Peres of Israel.
I closed my pool report with: “I’m still waiting for my burger.” But I just heard from the pool minder, Ben Finkenbinder, who says my burger is waiting for me.
Gotta run.
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2. wcmillionairre | 05.05.09
Is it any wonder why the press is held in such high esteem, as it continues to promote the political pandering of Mr. Obama, and ignore his egregious failures to be an effective president? Go figure…
5. burger king | 05.05.09
Wow a 5 dollar tip in a tip Jar… I thought he was an everyday person. I can’t afford to tip $5 everytime I ate a burger…Also what about that shelter dog…Portuguese Water dogs go for $5,000 a peice. This guy thinks he is king of the world….what ever happened to a real ordinary president. He talks the talk but walks elevated.
7. jo-z | 05.05.09
“what ever happened to a real ordinary president. He talks the talk but walks elevated”? Bush couldn’t even talk, period….
8. JoeSixPack | 05.05.09
Re: #2 & #5. I swear if the man sneezed the Republican’ts would complain about him.
9. anonamously | 05.05.09
I think it is cool that he is supporting the local eateries, and helping out the mom and pop stores. I think it sucks that the press was too cheap to order food, they were only there for Obama? next time, wait outside..
10. Dan C | 05.05.09
Great article! I was lucky enough to have had been to Ray’s **** Burger myself some three weeks ago. Awesome burgers! I’ve tried to get my friends to hop onto the bandwagon, but to no avail. Perhaps this publicity stunt will convince them!
11. Stephen | 05.05.09
I can’t wait for the right wing response:
“Obama ordered FRENCH fries…. extra french…. with French’s mustard!!!”
12. StPeteSue | 05.05.09
Burger king, dude, were you not paying attention? He bought at least 6 burgers, probably at $5-$7 a pop, so a $5 tip on a $30-$35 total is generous but not out of line. The dog was given to his family — again, not paying attention, bk. Do you mean a real ordinary president like the last one who couldn’t put together an entire thought that made sense — oooh, except at the end when he said “No.” to DICK cheney when cheney wanted him to pardon Skooter. Well done, W.
13. Robert | 05.05.09
Cogito, it’s called a Blog. If you want “news”, why don’t you try the front page. Good grief.
15. MIKE | 05.05.09
oh my! barack is so sneaky… taking time to eat when he could be fixing the world all by himself!!! he tipped $5! that’s an amount of money that’s unheard of!! he eats at ray’s **** burger… 10 oz burgers??? i think that’s way too much for an american! no regular person can afford that!??!
i hope you caught my sarcasm.
16. sum yung guy | 05.05.09
YOU GUYS ARE HILARIOUS!!!
I LOVE YOU GUYS WHO LEAVE THESE COMMENTS…SOME OF YOU SHOULD BE WRITERS!
17. Guy Ruffian | 05.05.09
Certainly the coolest president move I can offhandedly recall since Kennedy had coffee sent out to protesters on the lawn when it was cold outside.
18. EgregariousSchmarious | 05.05.09
“egregious failures to be an effective president”?? HAHA!! What rock do you live under? Your failure to see the fact that the man has done more for this country in just over a hundred days in office than the buffoon before him is what is truly “egregious”!
19. PLEASE OH PLEASE | 05.05.09
And they did this on a whim with no Secret Service Involvement !! Amazing only a dimwitted OBAMA WORSHIPPER would believe this staged event !!!
20. Mau W | 05.05.09
This reminds me of the story of the indivisual who got out of a boat to save his friend and walked on the water to do so. The press reported the next day of their disapointment that the indivisual who saved their friend, could not swim.
21. Andy | 05.05.09
The most self-defining quote of 2009 (Obama to media):
“You guys are cheap dates. I can’t believe I couldn’t get more of you to order a burger.”
Yup,guess he owes ‘em too.
22. ben boothe | 05.05.09
So good to have a President that feels comfortable at a hamburger place. One of “us”, instead of dining in the country clubs or some private place with rich VIP’s.
23. Art Valla | 05.05.09
I think this is great! Can you imagine G.W. Bush ever stepping out for a burger - or waiting his turn in line?
And hey, if the burgers were ~ $5 each and he bought for himself and 5 reporters, I would guess a $5 tip is about right.
24. Miguel Gallegos | 05.05.09
You gotta love a world leader who, with the snap of a finger, brings the Alice In Wonderland World of politics to a screeching halt for a burger. The point-counterpoint irony is hilarious and heartfelt. The “feet of clay” personna is a breathe of fresh in Washington regardless of which side of the fence your politics reside … oh, by the way, I’ll take a cheeseburger, fries and soda to go please. I’ve gotta hurry back to the office and run the free world.
25. Cal | 05.05.09
I’m surprised Obama hasn’t drowned in the slobber of you “worshippers”. Be careful of what you idolize.
26. I love it! | 05.05.09
I’m glad the republicans commenting on this board have the right to protest our commander and chief’s unbelievable nerve in ORDERING LUNCH! What was he thinking? Getting a burger?
Seriously, this kind of thinking is just what Democrats and Independants need to point out. Getting this riled up about a photo op at lunch just demonstrates how out of touch they really are. Good luck in the next election cycle.
heh.
28. Don Felipe | 05.05.09
If the President had left anything short of a 5 dollar tip. You guys would have been all over him for being cheap.
29. Joe | 05.05.09
So we are labeling everyone now. Anyone who disagrees is a republican, anyone who agrees is accused of being an Obamaite.
Everyone better wake the heck up. We are fighting so much among ourselves that no one is watching our liberty being stripped away.
Don’t complain when you can’t blog anymore because someone decided that it may contain ‘hate speech’.
It is time to wake up, everyone!
30. bobbi | 05.05.09
You guys are so sad and pathetic. Get a life and stop complaining about everything this man does and says. Change just seems to really bug some folks, especially when the change is done by someone who doesn’t look or act like you!! Move on; this man is here to stay. Try to put away some of your hatred and make an effort to embrace and support. Stop spreading your venom!!
32. shepherd the idots | 05.05.09
Re: Please of Please.
You are one of those, you need constant guidance don’t you. This is a simple article of about the day in the life. If you are such a hater, why would you even entertain such articles. For you response- no president nor head of country anywhere, enters into the public without proper protection. There are numerous racist and extremist in the world with a lot of anger, like you a imagine. Do you think Madoff even travels without his own, court appointed, public funded, secret service equivalent? Nope. People want to kill him. Further, every day in the life of a president is scheduled, do you not understand that? Probably not, i blame your genetics and environment. Your comment has nothing to do with people liking a president or not, except obviating your loathing towards to the current one. Only a fool states the obvious and expects a pat on the back for being such a thorough investigator. Peel the ‘W’ off the back of your car, the sticker that says “One Man, One Woman” and start worrying about something that matters…
33. Candy 16 | 05.05.09
I appreciate the spontineity between President Obama and Vice President Biden. The VPOTUS is naturally a “regular guy” and POTUS does not like being couped up in the White House, so it is good that they find ways to break away and mingle with “regular” Americans. Two executives who like have not forgotten from whence they came.
I pray that they can and will turn things around in this wonderful country or ours.
34. Alma | 05.05.09
The burgers at Rays are closer to $9, so if he ordered 6, a $54 bill, and 5 bucks isn’t much at all. As for Obama being a “real” person, he’s realer than bubba with his multi-millions and free pass into the Ivy League. Barack worked for his. I still don’t get how Americans see some guy in jeans talking slang and they right away assume this is a regular guy. Ignoring the Daddy was president and grandpa was a senator (I think, or was it congress?) America, I challenge you to use your brains. We’re all stuck with your stupid decisions in the voting booth until you start.
35. Badart | 05.05.09
I really enjoyed this article. It was the people side of Washington that we out here in the plains don’t get to see. We don’t get to stand in a burger line with the President behind us. So it was enjoyable.
badart
36. StewartIII | 05.05.09
ChickaBOOMer: Meat The Press
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2009/05/meat-press.html
37. Don - Seattle | 05.05.09
I wake up every morning saying, “damn, I feel so good and so proud to have a guy like Obama represent me around the globe.” He’s doing a great job. …and he even treats to lunch.
38. Olivia | 05.05.09
I found the blog entertaining, and the range of thoughts about it even more so.
May I introduce a new angle: WHY NOT ORDER A VEGGIE BURGER NEXT TIME, MR. PRESIDENT?
The well-made ones are yummy, nutritious, healthy, environmentally sustainable, and don’t call for killing anyone — either spent dairy cows or steers or the wildlife (peaceful bison, hungry wolves) that ranchers insist threaten their livestock a.k.a. your burger.
I think the White House press corps would “RELISH” this idea! It would give their cameramen another reason to say “SOY CHEESE” to the Prez and VP, so they could snap a whole new set of pix.
So would environmentalists. This single act of two visible politicians ordering and downing veggie burgers would move the world one step further away from the ecological “PICKLE” we’re in (Google U.N. report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” to see what I mean).
Do you “KETCH UP” with what I’m saying? Go Veg, Barack and Joe! :-)))))
40. Ardyjay | 05.05.09
$5 tip for a $14 meal? Good for him. If he’d tipped $2 this article would be about what a cheap he is. Your President is doing a fantastic job, especially when stacked up against his pathetic, murderous, gonna-burn-in-hell-if-there-is-one predecessor. Live up to your own code of ethics and do the ‘Christian’ thing- give him his due and quit wasting electrons on stuff like your story.
41. susanai | 05.05.09
I just loved this little article. It was warm and cuddly, and we need a lot of ‘warm and cuddly’. As for the republican bozo’s - get a life! He’s your President too, so stop knocking him. Good on ya Mr. President.
42. JDS | 05.05.09
Very interesting. Glad you wrote about it.
The anger directed towards President Obama is more sad for those harboring it than anyone. At least there aren’t too many to feel sorry about. Most people aren’t angry at him at all. They wish him-therefore our nation-the best and are pulling for him.
43. nate | 05.06.09
I like the expression on Obama’s face. He seems to be thinking about how may people are going to stick their thumb in the burger before it gets to the table. Biden must be riot. He can make funny off the wall comments without being drunk. - The press should at least continue to go through the motions of being objective or have they given up on that too.
44. RyogaM | 05.06.09
Well done, Obama! For his $20 lunch, he has created $1 million in publicity for Ray’s Hell Burger. Talk about stimulating the local economy! And look at that, out of the office at 12:30 and back before 1:30. He took less than a hour for lunch! That is discipline.
45. ld | 05.06.09
“Ray’s Hell Burger — a joint so new it still doesn’t have a sign up.”?
Hell Burger has been open for almost one year. It hasn’t needed the sign so far to fill the place, since its opening.
46. The Libertine Libertarian | 05.06.09
I say good on them both. It’s nice to have a POTUS who has no trouble mingle with we of the hoi polloi outside of the campaign season. And while it certainly is a disruption I think it is more than compensated by the folks who get to see their President just being a regular dude.
47. bob | 05.06.09
LOL, biased press coverage? You guys just can’t accept the fact that GW was a freaking stupid idiot who has done NOTHING good for this country in 8 years. That’s why he got bad press, because all he did was BAD and STUPID things.
What do you want the press to do? Make **** up?
48. Greg | 05.06.09
I figured $5 dollars was a cheap tip for the president of the united states on an order to feed 10-15 people. I guess its clear he can related to fiscal conservatives ^_-
49. Sarah Z. | 05.06.09
I was on a field trip yesterday, and we actually saw the President leaving the White House! It was really cool, because he waved at us. haha. I was joking around about him going to Chick-Fil-A. and it’s kind of ironic that he went to a burger place!
50. Francois Bergeron | 05.06.09
“The solution is illegal to discuss”?
You’re the scariest person on this page mister.
Your comments sound nice and smart, who dictated? You need a little patience. It takes time to get things done and it looks like the path is well begun.
51. Robert | 05.06.09
#5 — If anything Obama under tipped. He did buy burgers for members of the press corps as well. If each burger was 7 bucks and if five members of the press corps had burger then, including his burger, his order would’ve cost 42 bucks, a five dollar tip on a 40 buck check is not very special.
52. Name | 05.06.09
(#23)
I think this is great! Can you imagine G.W. Bush ever stepping out for a burger - or waiting his turn in line?
——————————————-
… or being able to read the menu?
54. Evron | 05.07.09
Sounds like the right-wing propaganda machine has instructed their cadre of Hatriots in cyberspace to use the words “Obama Worshipper”. What clever epithet will they think of next?
55. maz hess | 05.07.09
You have to live in a swing state to have the pleasure to meet Obama by chance. But in those states you have a lot of opportunities.
56. lance lee | 05.08.09
$5 is nothing compared to the billions that President Shimon Peres of Israel will be asking and getting from mr obama.
-lance lee
57. Lieberman | 05.16.09
“$8 burger saves our economy” is the economic principle of Barry Obama bin Liar. Joey von Biden’s economic principle? Avoid contact with people, meaning don’t buy burgers at all, but ride Amtrak to be crushed to pieces.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. steven wilson | 05.05.09
is barack harold or kumar?