On the last day of his Texas fundraising tour this week, President Obama decided to visit Austin’s legendary Franklin Barbecue, which always has a lengthy line. But lines aren’t for the president, no siree. Instead of waiting like all the other patrons, he decided to just elbow his way to the front.
It’s not as though the president was having barbecue withdrawal pains — he had barbecue for lunch at Austin’s John Mueller Meat Co. before giving a Democratic fundraising speech at the Paramount, according to Austin360.com.
But as good a reputation as Mueller has, apparently Franklin is the “in place” to go.
“I know this is a long line,” Obama said, according to a pool report from the Statesman’s Chuck Lindell, as reported by Austin360. “I feel real bad, but – I’m gonna cut.”
“Aaron Franklin told the Statesman’s Ciara O’Rourke that nobody cuts the line at Franklin … except Obama,” according to 360m which reported:
Obama entered the restaurant and shook hands with customers as he made small talk on his way to the register.
When he arrived at the counter, Obama offered to pay for the order for the two people in front of him — Bruce Finstad of Houston and his daughter Faith, of Austin. After they ordered three pounds of brisket, two pounds of ribs, and a half-pound each of turkey and sausage, Obama said, “How many folks are you guys feeding? Just kidding.”
President Obama ordered almost $300 in barbecue – not including the Finstad’s order – and paid with a credit card, after shoving a wad of cash back into his pocket. The president was headed to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after his stop at Franklin. I bet he took a nap on the flight home.
As to Obama’s line jumping, reactions were mixed. Thew New York Times’s Doug Mills tweeted:
Obama gets a fist pump as he pays for his lunch during a surprise visit to Franklin Barbecue in Texas #obamaaustin pic.twitter.com/sPUAMIAm2S
— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) July 10, 2014
Not everyone was pleased with POTUS’s actions. NBC News’s Carrie Dann tweeted:
Per pool, Obama is exercising his executive power to not have to wait 19 hours in line at Franklin BBQ in Austin like the rest of us would — Carrie Dann (@CarrieNBCNews) July 10, 2014
Other commenters on Twitter were even more pointed in their criticism:
I hope he waited in that line with everyone else. RT @365ThingsAustin: Obama is at Franklin BBQ right now. — The Screw (@Nuno__Oliveira) July 10, 2014
Ok traffic is one thing but skipping the line at Franklin BBQ? NO SIR OBAMA WAIT YOUR TURN — Robbyn Smith (@Robbyn_Smith) July 10, 2014
If Obama didn’t have to wait in line for Franklin BBQ like everyone else, then I’m seriously pissed off. http://t.co/d604IWmOwz — Robert Starr (@RobertKStarr) July 10, 2014
I’m not sure what I’d do in that situation — especially with Secret Service agents keeping an eye on things. Plus, like it or not, he’s the president. Although he technically works for us, there’s such a thing as respect for the office. There are plenty of other things to complain about with this guy.
Nonetheless, I’d like to think I’d at least politely say something — especially if I were the person he cut in front of. Maybe something like, “With all the time you’re saving by cutting to the front of the line, I guess you’ll have plenty of time to check out that border, huh?”
(h/t IJ Review)
