Mid-day Extra: When Obama dines at your restaurant

The cost of admission at President Obama’s fundraiser last night in Los Angeles was $35,800 dollars. But just before that, he stopped by Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles to grab up a snack that cost just $8.90.

Sure, all presidents need to eat. But Obama has made a particular effort in the last few years to try out local restaurants, eating in many hot spots throughout the United States.

What kind of effect does that have on these businesses?

In today’s Mid-day Extra, we ask why people care what the president eats. To find out, we went to Perry Smith, who is managing partner at Ted’s Bulletin in Washington, DC — a place where the president
has been spotted chowing down this year.

In his experience, the process started a few days before the actual visit with a number of security checks. By the time Obama plopped down in his booth, he already knew what he wanted to order.

And just minutes after he left, Smith was already fielding calls from people requesting the “Obama bench.”