Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Taylor Gourmet Founder Spurs Social Media Frenzy Over White House Visit

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A PoPville post that went up yesterday about Casey Patten of Taylor Gourmet (1116 H St., currently closed for renovations) meeting and shaking hands with President Trump has many readers up in arms. The first comment is from a little before 1 p.m. and predicts a backlash against the local sandwich chain. The next 150 or so comments appear to support that prediction, with many the authors of many comments pledging to spend their money elsewhere.




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Patten explained in a tweet last night the circumstances under which he met with Trump. He writes that he "was invited by the White House to participate in a discussion of surrounding issues facing small businesses," and emphasizes that he also did so "in similar meetings with President Obama and his staff." Following the discussion Trump signed an Executive Order intended to reduce government regulations, partly with the idea that such a move will reduced the burden on businesses large and small. 

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Patten is visible in the first six seconds of a video from the event posted on Time Magazine's website, and I believe that's him immediately to the right of the President in this group photo Trump tweeted later in the afternoon. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have more than once appeared in connection with Taylor Gourmet, and the chain recently tweeted past photos of them the visiting sandwich shop.

The Washington Post picked up the story of social media outcry over the handshake in a story posted later yesterday afternoon. D.C. is certainly a place that takes it politics very seriously, and this is not the first time Taylor has found itself taking some flack over apparent associations with a national political figure. This Roll Call article from 2013 mentions that a retweet about some Marco Rubio staffers enjoying lunch ruffled a feather or two.


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typical triggered outrage from the D.C. echo chamber who have nothing better to do with their lives except whine on social media in the uber on the way to their cushy government jobs.

Anonymous said...

"Triggered"! "Echo Chamber"! No "Cuck"? I thought we were going to get an alt-right bingo. Sad.

Dave said...

Maybe taylor told the pres that without cheap illegal immigrant labor he couldn't open like twenty stores in three jurisdictions in seven-ish years. And that regulations are actually easily navigable cuz he deals with three different health departments and a fucking airport

Anonymous said...

@Dave - right on! And don't forget he's suffering so badly under the burdens of regulation that he could barely afford that $2.5M+ home at 13th & Maryland.

Anonymous said...

great news for a business owner. he got to meet 2 presidents, start a local restaurant chain, and live large in a great home. good for him to get some recognition

Anonymous said...

No way, I'm going back to Taylors...even if they manage to reopen their place on H street. Maybe that illegal construction mess was a preferred habit.

Mari said...

Not a fan of Taylors, only because of the quality (subjective) and cost of the product they produce. Had a sandwich there.... it was ok. Considering the number of businesses and people I encounter in buying and using services I'm not and I don't judge them by whatever beliefs they hold or who they support for 95% of them. 'Cause ain't nobody got time for that.
Generally happy for local businesses, and happy that someone local was invited to the table.
Don't know where Subway or Sundivich stands on any issue, and I don't care.

Anonymous said...

Fuck Taylor and fuck Trump

Anonymous said...

I have been eating at Taylor since they first opened on H Street, work near their shop in Penn Quarter and have utilized their services for catering on over 100 occasions. However, I will never again spent my money at their stores. Patten's dissembling and bs-filled responses were wholly inadequate; he was clearly hoping that his Bannon-esque lying would work, which shows that he is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

this guy met with the President of the United States and got a picture. Jesus Christ, fascist liberals, get over yourselves.

Anonymous said...

The guy more is than "met with the President and got a picture" , he is supporting gutting laws that protect workers and your health. By the way, he is a registered Republican.

Annoyingmous said...


I doubt anyone here has any direct knowledge of what got communicated in their meeting. I doubt anyone here knows what issues Casey Patten brought up. But that doesn't stop plenty of people here from assuming the worst and spewing out bile. Because in the end, to those people, it's not about anything being made worse by others' actions or better by their bravely pointing and clicking on a blog. It's about feeling self-righteously smug in their outrage. Or, even worse, the chance to behave in a sociopathic fashion and just stir up some shit for the fun of stirring up shit.

If you've actually got some real evidence that he "is supporting gutting laws that protect workers and your health," then please provide it here. It makes perfect sense to be pissed at him if you know for a fact that he's supporting positions that make the world a worse place. But if you don't have any such evidence, then if you have even the tiniest, tiniest bit of interest in making the world a better place rather than stroking your own ego, you'll stop acting like an idiotic asshole and shut the fuck up.

Not that I expect that to happen, of course, because it's all about you you you you you.

Anonymous said...

Oh shiver me timbers, he is a registered Republican!! Oh my, to hell with him then! Aren't liberals supposed to be tolerant? Hilarious.

Anonymous said...

The sandwiches are nasty and they won't give you mayonnaise.

Also, I'm sure he'll be glad to keep his workers wages low....since he agrees with the current administration that a living wage isn't necessary.

Anonymous said...

Press Polls show:

Trump wont win a repub prinary
Trump wont win a repub debate
Trump wont be repub nominee
Trump wont win pres debate
Press polls show we are all gainfully employed and have affordable health care
Press tweeted MLK bust was removed from Whitehouse (the first and only thing worthy to report on)

People need to think for themselves and stop believing the people who have lied to us for the last four years.
Taylor serves high quality affordable food. Not the overpriced bowls of rice from global chains or $3 coffees you need to wait in line for.


Anonymous said...

Yes people claimed Obama wasn't American and called Michele and ape. However the hatred directed at any and every person who is not willing to express hatred toward Trump is amazing to me. Obama ate at Boundary Road and Smith Commons I dont recall a campaign to shut them down or drive them out of town?
It astounds me to think you can win anything by hate. Those people and yes they are people at least 50 million of them can hate just as equally and I weep to consider a future where the only option is to hate.
Drive people out of business because they don't agree with you, seriously?
Yes it is simple as that your neighbors don't share your hatred, so they must be hated?
We have a system of checks and balances , use it and spend less time hating your neighbors or they will start hating you and the result is obvious.

E.G. said...

I think I'm going to treat myself to a Taylor sub for lunch today.

Anonymous said...

Plain and simple. Republicans are racists, supporters of Trump are racists. If you eat at Taylor you are a racist. If you have friends that eat at Taylor then you're a racist. If people are your friends then they don't eat at Taylor.

le poo said...

no more taylor's for me. there are plenty of other options. options that actually jibe with who i am.

thank god the electoral college doesn't get to decide where i eat.

Anonymous said...

Sad these people trying to boycott a sandwich shop just because the owner talked to the President. You people are insane.

Tom said...

when the fuck is the H st shop going to open again? Need to show my support for Trump pronto!

Anonymous said...

This is not my America. This not your America. This is OUR America.
You do not have a right to dictate OUR government's policies to me.

Anonymous said...

Taylor makes subs great again

Eduth said...

Not Good!! I am African American and people of color are the ones who get the most hate from Trump! By the way, I bought my rental off H Street about 4 yrs before Taylor's was there! 🤑👸🏽🤔

duh said...

look, it's a free country, last time i checked. if folks want to boycott taylor's then, all the more power to them. trumpferts are all about knocking any kind of dissent targeted toward the orange bloviating buttsock. tsk, tsk.

don't they know that just makes lots of folks want to assert their point of view even more? bullying doesn't work. choosing where to spend your dollar does.

"but he was just there to give advice to dingbat, and ended up in a picture"

really? he's not that dumb. how could he be? after all, he managed to create and grow a business during the *gasp* OBAMA administration. dude must be brilliant to have overcome so many obstacles.

i'm so tired of the ignorance that seems to be so en vogue these days. it's like someone kicked over the social dumpster and we're all waiting for someone to clean it up.

well, guess what? some of us are all going to clean it up together. even if it means we have to forgo lunch at a relatively decent upscale subway.

i also support those that don't eat at restaurants that have owners who pose with KKK directors because they were "trying to give advice to them", no matter how nice or 'smart' the owner is. but hey, that's just me.