If you want to dine like the New York media elite — specifically, like Times columnist David Brooks — a New Jersey restaurant is letting you do so, at a far cheaper price.
In a now-viral post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the New York Times op-ed writer carped about spending $78 to eat at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, suggesting such experiences are causing many Americans to tell pollsters they believe the U.S. economy is in bad shape when the data say otherwise.
His meal included a burger, fries and what appeared to be a generous pour of whiskey.
Now, Maurice Hallett, proprietor of the airport eatery, Smokehouse BBQ, is offering the same combo for the low cost of $17.78 — yes, with a double shot of booze — at his Trenton, N.J., 1911 Smoke House Bar-B-Que restaurant. He’s dubbing it the “D Brooks Special.”
Hallett told the NJ.com news site that he can’t feature the deal at the airport itself because the rents are too high there.
Burgers run $17 to $18 at the airport, so Hallett said he suspects it was the alcohol portion of Brooks’s tab that made it so steep. “He must’ve been knocking back a bunch of drinks,” Hallett said.
See also: 4 tips to save money on airport food so you don’t pull a David Brooks
Hallett and his team have clearly been enjoying their 15 minutes of fame. On its Facebook page, the restaurant even said, “Thanks Dave Brooks for the free publicity,” though it requested that the columnist use the dining spot’s hashtag (#youcantbeatourmeat) in any future references.
MarketWatch reached out to Hallett and Brooks for comment and didn’t receive immediate responses.