Free Republic

Former President Donald Trump promised “food for everyone” at a famous Cuban restaurant in Miami following his federal arraignment on Tuesday, but left others to pay the bill. Trump, 77, made an unexpected stop at Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, pausing briefly for prayers, “Happy Birthday” wishes and some food for his staff, but was later accused by an anonymous source of stepping out before picking up the check, the left-wing Miami New Times reported. “Food for everyone,” the current GOP frontrunner shouted to the Republican-friendly crowd when he entered the eatery, a mainstay of Miami’s Cuban exile community.

A visitor for breakfast at an Old Town Clovis restaurant decided not to leave a tip – but a political message instead.The unknown breakfast eater dined at the Rodeo Coffee Shop on Sunday morning, but instead of leaving the customary tip on the bill at the end of their meal wrote that they were “sending a tip to LGBT youth in Florida & Planned Parenthood.”The message was left after the unidentified diner had consumed their coffee, cinnamon roll (with nuts) and two pancakes with bacon.

For nine years, Shawn Stanford has called Dean’s Diner her second home. On a recent grey Tuesday afternoon, the petite 30-year-old in a crisp white uniform offered an infectious smile and warm greeting to anyone who walked in the door. At the heart of the reason she loves her job is a sense of community — “outside of the money,” Ms. Stanford said, laughing. “There is a great mix of regulars who I know what their order will be as soon as they walk in the door as well as travelers passing through on the highway looking for some good...

I was listening to Conservative morning AM radio in Chicago this morning and a guest talked about his group of resisters against the Illinois Governor's lock down of Illinois restaurants. His group is 'REBEL DINERS'. Each week, more and more diners join his group and have dinners at restaurants that are struggling with all of the restrictions. 👍 🇺🇸 He is encouraging people to form similar groups nationwide. ABOUT REBEL DINERS The Illinois Governor announced on October 20th, 2020 that a new round of stronger restrictions going into place that Friday. All six counties surrounding Chicago will not allow indoor...

Big Apple eatery owners — already struggling to cope with a second shutdown of indoor dining amid the coronavirus pandemic — were thrown into a panic Thursday night when the Cuomo administration dropped new rules that barred patrons in outdoor spaces from using their indoor bathrooms. The initial guidance, released publicly by Kapil Longani, counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, stated that “customers are not allowed to enter the inside of an SLA-licensed establishment for any reason while the guidance is in effect.”

There are no Michelin stars on the door, but you will not find a better breakfast in New York City than at the Bel Aire Diner in Astoria, Queens. The coffee, a lighter roast than Starbucks' and brewed three gallons at a time, is always fresh because just about every customer gets a refill or three. The Greek Breakfast entrée is a masterpiece of the line cook's art, a combination of eggs (any style), feta cheese, soft black olives and grilled fresh tomatoes whose juice seasons the toasted pita. The Bel Aire is run under the glare of Argyris "Archie"...

Edged out by corn dogs and chocolate-dipped bacon, one of the few remaining church dining halls at the fairgrounds is calling it quits. File this one under E, for End-of-an-Era. Or at least the beginning of the end. When the State Fair opens for its 148th year next Thursday, it's going to be the last season for the Epiphany Diner. The landmark dining hall, operated by the Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids and one of the fair's three remaining church-run operations, is closing up shop after this year's fair. Its space will be used for tasting Minnesota wines....

FAST FACTS: * Cameras show couple feasting on filet, bottles of win, then skipping out on tab * Couple told server they were 'going out to smoke' * Restaurant emails couple's pics to listserve of more than 8-thousand people (Memphis 6/26/09) In this tough economy, the dine-and-dash has taken on a whole new twist. Now, businesses are fighting back. When two diners at Buckely's restaurant walked out last night without paying their tab, the owner took matters into his own hands. He wasn't going to say goodbye to $100 worth of food without a fight. Apparently, the restaurant has seen...

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – British health officials said on Friday they were investigating 400 potential cases of food poisoning linked to top-rated Fat Duck restaurant, run by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. The award-winning restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, is known for its chemistry-inspired dishes such as bacon and egg ice cream and snail porridge, with many courses frozen in liquid nitrogen. Blumenthal voluntarily closed the restaurant last month after around 40 diners complained of diarrhea and vomiting. The Health Protection Agency said the number had risen to 400 after media coverage of its investigation. "This is a very complex outbreak," said...

Tums and Pepcid AC commercials were shot there. Noxema and Bank of America, too. So was part of Ang Lee's film "Ice Storm." Nickelodeon and TV Land have been there. The diner is a must-stop for location scouts who want an all-American (circa 1950s) small-town atmosphere, and artist John Baeder painted it lifelike, with a red Jeep Wagoneer and a vintage sky-blue Caddy parked outside, a full mast Stars & Stripes flapping above. Among diner aficionados, the Harris remains a stainless steel fixture. It is on every diner-nut tour, like Diner-rama, and every list of must-sees by diner societies and...

"How do you feel, good?" Eva Diakakis says to a longtime customer, Murray Rifkowitz, who is in for his daily breakfast at the Bendix Diner. To his son, Sheldon: "You want more coffee, Shelly? More coffee?" Diakakis grabs the pot of decaf, delivers their egg whites, potatoes and wheat toast. She makes it all look easy, when in fact under her quiet manner is a trove of knowledge honed from spending the past 27 years waitressing at the Hasbrouck Heights diner.  She knows that Murray Rifkowitz has health issues and requires salt-free food, and she even makes sure he occasionally...