Saucy Indeed: A Journalist’s Rant About The American Economy After Hefty Bar Tab Sparks Internet Debate
New York Times reporter, David Brooks, snapped this photo of his meal before uploading it to Twitter/X (Photo: David Brooks/X)
A New York Times reporter complained about his $78 tab during a recent trip to the Smoke House Barbecue restaurant at the Newark Airport, citing inflation and a terrible economy in the U.S. The restaurant fired back at the reporter, noting that 80% of his bill went to booze, the Daily Mail reported Friday.
The reporter, David Brooks, uploaded a snap of a cheeseburger, fries and what appeared to be a whiskey on the rocks to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, with the following caption:
“This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible.”
The viral tweet took off on multiple platforms, so much so that Smoke House Barbecue fought back in the comments section on Facebook.
“Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks — bar tab was almost $80 and he’s complaining about the cost of his meal.”
Brooks’ X post racked up a 18,000 replies, and many of them teased the journalist about his drinking.
The Kentucky Distiller’s Association offered to send some bourbon to Brooks, tweeting that they had him “covered on Bourbon” and requested the journalist DM them his favorite bottle.
Others were not as kind.
“Personally, I thought it was generous they gave you a burger and fries when you ordered 14 shots of scotch on the rocks,” a user quipped.
The snarky comments continued and got more creative. Smoke House Barbecue went so far as to create a poster, advertising a D Brooks Special featuring a burger, fries and a shot of whisky for $17.78.
The fake ad from Smokehouse Barbecue (Photo: 1911 Smoke House Barbecue/Facebook)
Another user posted a photo of a package of bologna and a bottle of Bacardi rum with the following caption:
“I can’t believe I had to spend $30 at the grocery store just to make bologna sandwiches. Thanks, Obama!”
Airport Drinking: An Ongoing Issue
Perhaps the most savage response was from New York Times veteran and best-selling author, Kurt Eichenwald:
“And by the way, I just noticed the scotch. How many did you buy to hit $78? Maybe buy a water next time, like I do. Best not to be one of those drunkards on the plane.”
Eichenwald’s use of the phrase, “drunkards on the plane” is a relevant one.
Rowdy airport drinking seems to be a growing problem in both airports and planes alike.
In July, a man was escorted off a plane for making bomb threats after drinking an entire bottle of Jameson.
That same month Delta Airlines faced a $2 million lawsuit after a grown man sexually assaulted a mother and daughter during a busy flight.
In November 2022, a passenger overindulged on scotch whisky and ended up assaulting a flight attendant.
As of 2021, the FAA wanted airport bars to implement regulations on alcohol sales due to unruly behavior, according to Food and Wine. In the memo, Brady Byrnes a managing director of flight service at American Airlines wrote the following:
“We [also] recognize that alcohol can contribute to atypical behavior for customers onboard and we owe it to our crew not to potentially exacerbate what can already be a new and stressful situation for our customers.”
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