MAY 5, 2009, 2:20 PM

Obama and Biden Lunch at Ray’s Hell Burger
Sommer Mathis

{The picture was not showing up, as DCist went defunct in late 2023 or early 2024. You can see the text of old articles, but not any pictures. The AP photograph showed up in the Washington Post at Fresh off election falsehoods, Republicans serve up a whopper about Biden on April 26, 2021. Here it is. Edited, Thurs., May 2, 2024.}



President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are served burgers as they make an unannounced visit to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Hot hot Arlington burger joint Ray’s Hell Burger got even hotter today after President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stopped in for lunch around 12:30 p.m.

The crowd at Ray’s was reportedly (and understandably) flipping out over the surprise executive branch visit. The official White House pool report from the event offers some fun details, including that Obama treated a few reporters to burgers (they’re making donations to charity to balance it out, they claim). More from the pool report:

While Obama and Biden waited in line, the lunch crowd stood and gawked, some took pix with cell phones. The two guys in line ahead of them studied their menus, oblivious to who was behind them.

When Obama and Biden reached the front, Obama greeted the two order-takers. The guy who took Obama’s order and money was Tim Murray. There’s still some debate among press on exactly what Obama ordered, since it was hard to hear. He definitely had a burger. I heard him say “basic cheeseburger, medium well.” But someone else heard him say “Swiss mushroom burger.” He definitely asked Mr. Murray for “spicy mustard, if you have it.” There may have also been talk of tater tots.

The Veep order was more clear: Biden got a swiss cheese burger with jalapeños. Obama also put a $5 bill in the tip jar.

Politico’s Jonathan Martin quotes Ray’s owner Michael Landrum as calling the visit, “one of the greatest days of my life.” If not of his life, then certainly for his business. The last time Obama stopped by a casual lunch spot, there was a line around the building to get into Ben’s Chili Bowl for six weeks.

Dijon Derangement Syndrome: Conservative media attack Obama for burger order

May 7, 2009 4:49 PM EDT ››› ERIC HANANOKI

Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Mark Steyn criticized President Obama as an elitist because he ordered a burger with "spicy mustard" or "Dijon mustard."

{snip still of Sean Hannity breathlessly reporting this news, at https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/static/video/2009/05/07/media-20090507-dijon}

Following President Obama's May 5 visit to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Rush Limbaugh Show guest host Mark Steyn criticized Obama as an elitist because he ordered a burger with "spicy mustard" or "Dijon mustard." Hannity claimed that Obama ordered a "fancy burger" with a "very special condiment," while Steyn asserted Obama is trying "to enlighten us" through his order. Ingraham asked of Obama: "What kind of man orders a cheeseburger without ketchup but Dijon mustard? ... The guy orders a cheeseburger without ketchup? What is that?" In their discussions of Obama's burger order, Hannity, Ingraham, and Steyn all referenced a Grey Poupon commercial featuring actors portraying wealthy British men expressing desire for the mustard.

During the May 6 edition of his Fox News program, Hannity said: "[A]s you all know, President Obama is a real man of the people. And yesterday he dropped by a popular Virginia restaurant to grab a burger with his pal [Vice President] Joe [Biden]. Now, the Gateway Pundit blog pointed out that plain old ketchup, well, it didn't quite cut it for the president. Now take a look at him ordering his burger with a very special condiment. ... Dijon mustard? I think the president watched just a little bit too much television as a kid." Hannity then played a portion of a Grey Poupon commercial and commented, "I hope you enjoyed that fancy burger, Mr. President." In the May 5 post Hannity referenced, the Gateway Pundit wrote of Obama and Biden: "They're just two ordinary metrosexual guys going out for a burger ... Obama and Biden, two ordinary guys, go out for a sandwich and Obama asks for Dijon mustard at Joe's Hell Burger." The blog added: "I hear it's delish with arugula lettuce. Yum-Yum."

During the May 6 edition of her radio show, Ingraham said of Obama: "I don't even like the way the man orders a hamburger. ... What kind of man orders a cheeseburger without ketchup but Dijon mustard?" She later added of Obama: "See, he was trying to do this whole thing with Biden -- 'We're like the regular people, we're like every other guy, you know, with our -- on our lunch break, we're going to go grab a burger, two guys, two bros.' " Like Hannity, Ingraham played a clip from a Grey Poupon commercial in which an actor asked, "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" Ingraham then remarked: "That would have been more appropriate." Ingraham's remarks were highlighted by The Fox Nation on May 7:

{snip}