New York Times columnist David Brooks probably thought he was giving social media users some food for thought when he tweeted about the price of his burger.
Instead, he was humiliated by the Community Notes feature on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Wednesday evening, Brooks tweeted a photo of his meal — a burger, fries and an unidentified drink — at the Newark airport, along with a gripe about how much it cost.
“This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible,” he wrote.
People who saw the post became suspicious about the actual cost breakdown of Brooks’ meal.
The Community Notes section on X noted that “based on the similar table, glass, chair, sheet and cut of fries, this is the Smokehouse Restaurant in Newark Airport Terminal A. The burger and fries cost $17.”
Many commenters pointed out what appeared to be a stiff drink in Brooks’ photo and noted that airport booze isn’t cheap.
Others piled on.
The restaurant where Brooks supposedly ate also chimed in on Facebook, noting that the bill wasn’t just for the burger and fries.
“Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks,” the post from 1911 Smoke House Barbeque read. “Bar tab was almost 80% and he’s complaining about the cost of his meal keep drinking buddy - we get paid off everything.”
Brooks’ photo also inspired many users to create their own $78 meal tweets.