President Joe Biden Calls Burger Joint for Takeout: 'I Got a Little Star-Struck'
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
President Joe Biden ordered takeout from Ghostburger in Washington, DC. Tuesday — giving a star employee the surprise of a lifetime.
Co-founder of the pandemic start-up, Josh Phillips, and his wife, Kelly, arranged for their employee Brittany Spaddy to take the call, orchestrating the plan ahead of time with the Biden administration.
"She earned it," Phillips told The Washington Post of his dedicated worker, explaining that the couple told Spaddy she needed to come to work ahead of the 1 p.m. call just to make sure she was around.
"I got a little star-struck when I answered the phone, and I'm normally not like this," Spaddy said of her shock call. "I heard the voice, and I'm like, 'No way! No way! No way!'"
The outlet noted that Biden asked for a single Ghostburger with bacon, no cheese and no "spooky sauce," plus another burger with cheese, but no sauce. He also ordered fries.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris later enjoyed their burgers in the White House and posted a photo on Twitter celebrating the work of small businesses in America.
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Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
"Today, @VP and I ordered our lunch from @GhostburgerDC – one of the 10.5 million small businesses that have applied to start during our Administration," he captioned the picture with Kamala Harris, displaying big smiles while eating their burgers together at the White House. "If you missed the news, ketchup: that's the most in a two-year period. Ever."
"More proof that our economic plan is working," he added.
Today, @VP and I ordered our lunch from @GhostburgerDC – one of the 10.5 million small businesses that have applied to start during our Administration.
If you missed the news, ketchup: that’s the most in a two-year period. Ever.
More proof that our economic plan is working. pic.twitter.com/qfqq1L91FE— President Biden (@POTUS) January 17, 2023
Biden also shared the exchange with Spaddy. "I may have caught Brittany off guard," he tweeted in an earlier post, adding video footage of the call.
"How's business at Ghostburger?" Biden asked. "Pretty good," Spaddy replied.
"That's crazy," Spaddy said after hanging up with the president. "Ooh, I'm shaking."
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Ordered a bacon cheeseburger from a local restaurant yesterday to celebrate over 10 million new small business applications during my presidency.
I may’ve caught Brittany off guard. pic.twitter.com/rP8i8a0ny0— President Biden (@POTUS) January 18, 2023
Spaddy later expanded to The Washington Post on what it was like taking a burger order from the President of the United States.
"I feel like he said, 'How's your day?' Because when I tell you I froze, I froze. Like, I kind of felt embarrassed at how much I froze on the phone," Spaddy said. "I'm like, he's not even in front of you, and you're fiddling with the computer screens, just trying to take the order properly. You don't want to mess this order up!"
"It definitely seemed as if he wanted to have a conversation," she added. "Like I said, I was very, I guess, nervous. My nerves got to me. I was just like, 'Okay, have a great day!'"
Though White House aides picked up the burgers for Biden on Tuesday, Spaddy said the surprise phone call was enough.
"This is not what I thought my Tuesday was going to be," Spaddy said. "I feel really honored to have taken that call."