New York Times columnist David Brooks is no stranger to dropping controversial food takes that manage to take the internet by storm, though not necessarily by garnering the reaction he was likely hoping to receive. In 2017, Vanity Fair crowned him with "the worst take of the week" after he wrote a "sanctimonious, moralizing and off-key" op-ed about taking a friend with "only a high school degree" to a fancy sandwich shop. Now he's back — this time lamenting the price of airport meals.
"This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport," Brooks posted on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a picture of a burger meal. "This is why Americans think the economy is terrible."
However, after using the background of the photo to identify the restaurant as 1911 Smokehouse Barbeque in the airport's A Terminal, online sleuths quickly poked holes in Brooks' story, pointing out that a burger and fries costs only $17 per the menu. The glass of Scotch accompanying the meal? That's a different story. "I'm guessing it's the $30 double-barreled whiskey to blame," one commenter observed.
The restaurant confirmed that theory when they weighed in on Facebook on Thursday. "Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks," the restaurant's social media post read. "Bar tab was almost 80% and he's complaining about the cost of his meal. Keep drinking buddy — we get paid off everything."
