David Brooks, a columnist for The New York Times, was roundly dunked on by most of the internet on Thursday for complaining about the cost of dining at Newark’s international airport—with even the restaurant jumping in on the roast.
Brooks shared a photo of his airport meal on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, complaining that it cost him $78. “This is why Americans think the economy is terrible,” he wrote.
But social media sleuths quickly unraveled Brooks’ claim—matching the table, glass, chair, sheet and cut of fries to 1911 Smokehouse Barbeque in Newark’s Terminal A, where a burger and fries costs a far more reasonable $17.
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The item at the top of Brooks’ photo provided the answer: a glass (or perhaps glasses) of scotch.
“I’m guessing it’s the $30 double barreled whiskey to blame and not the $25 burger & fries entree + tax & tip,” one commenter quipped.
Another posted a screenshot of a Lexus Christmas commercial, writing, “This bow just cost me $78,000 at my local dealership. This is why Americans think Lexus’s December to Remember is terrible.”
Smokehouse Barbecue even weighed in, clarifying in a Facebook post that Brooks did indeed spend most of the $78 on booze.
“Bar tab was almost 80% and he’s complaining about the cost of his meal,” the post read. “Keep drinking buddy – we get paid off everything.”
It continued to weigh in throughout the day on its Facebook page, even thanking Brooks for the free publicity and announcing a new “D Brooks Special,” consisting of burger, fries and a double shot of whiskey for $17.78.
“The comments on Twitter are hilarious,” it said.
Other Facebook users got in on the action with one writing, “Most important question, though, is how much did he tip?”
Brooks had not weighed in on the criticism as of Thursday afternoon.
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