A restaurant addressed a customer’s complaint about the high cost of their meal at an airport.
With the rise of social media, interactions between restaurants and their customers have become more transparent, sometimes leading to public disputes.
While reviews can provide insights into a restaurant, they may not always present the whole story.
Many platforms allow restaurants to share their perspective, and in this instance, the establishment provided context to the customer’s grievance.
It’s well-known that airport eateries often increase their prices, given the captive audience of travelers looking for a meal before boarding their flights.
In 2023, David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction with paying $78 for a meal at a restaurant in Newark Airport, New Jersey.
He shared a photo of a burger, fries, salad, sauces, and a cold drink.
The caption stated: “This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible.”
While Brooks did not name the restaurant in his tweet, the establishment chose to respond publicly.
911 Smokehouse Barbeque, the restaurant in question, addressed the complaint on Facebook.
They wrote: “Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks.
“Bar tab was almost 80 percent and he’s complaining about the cost of his meal keep drinking buddy – we get paid off everything.”
Additionally, someone shared a screenshot in the comments, along with links, showing that a burger and fries at the chain would typically cost around $17, not $78.
The restaurant also created a promotional meal deal inspired by the incident.
A poster advertising the deal reads: “Super delicious burger with fries and a double shot of whiskey.”
The poster displays the original price of $78 crossed out and replaced with the actual price of $17.78.
They even named the combo the ‘D Brooks Special’. Ouch.
A caption to the post reads: “Just in lol…. For real tho!”