Imagine looking out the window and seeing a former president getting out of a car and strolling toward the front door of your restaurant.
That’s just what happened at Taco Joint in Austin, Texas, when former President Barack Obama joined two Texas state representatives during a surprise visit on Tuesday, May 12: U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa.
Restaurant staff had been notified that Talarico and Hinojosa would be stopping by; Obama’s presence was a complete surprise.
"We just thought it was just going to be them two," Taco Joint's general manager, Lilia Valdez, told local news outlet MYSA. "Then they let us know, when the security detail came in, by the way, there's going to be a surprise person, a VIP person, coming in, and we did not know until he [Obama] got out of the motor car, and everybody's jaw just dropped.”
So, what did the former president 0rder from the menu at this restaurant near the University of Texas at Austin campus? The Street Taco (grilled sirloin with caramelized onions, avocado, cilantro and queso fresco) and a Holy Mole taco (pulled chicken stewed in homemade mole sauce topped with shredded cabbage & queso fresco).
You can watch a video of the visit here.