Obama makes unannounced stop at Miami Beach deli

En route to Miami International Airport from a Democratic fundraiser at the Fontainebleau hotel, President Barack Obama made an unannounced stop at Jerry's Famous Deli on South Beach.

Here's a terrible picture of Obama and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek with the deli staff. Here's what happened, according to Politico's Carol E. Lee:

He was in the restaurant for about 10 minutes. There were few patrons inside, maybe a handful. But he was met with some very excited employees. He standing alongside U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and shook the hand of one of Jerry’s employees who was standing behind the counter when pool entered the restaurant.

POTUS ordered a corned beef on rye with mustard and a corned beef on rye with mayo. Both were to go. Dean Fader, an employee there, took the order. POTUS ordered his and then asked Meek what he wanted.

“What do you think, Ben, you need a sandwich,” POTUS said to the AP’s Ben Feller. Feller declined. POTUS: “You sure they’re going to feed you on the plane?”

Obama wandered from the order counter to the cash register. “I’m promoting small business,” he said as he stood the ordering counter.

POTUS went to pay but there was no clerk there to take his money. POTUS and Meek were both in shirtsleeves and ties. The stood near the counter waiting for a cashier, chatting. Pool could not hear much. “This is like old school,” POTUS said of the place as he and Meek waited.

After a few moments a man squeezed past pool, which was jammed behind the counter with the employees, and went to the cash register to assist POTUS.

“Oh, we’ve got a cashier,” POTUS said. “You’ve gotta take my money,” he said, paying the man. “Here you go.’ He said the rest of it goes in the tip jar, and put some money in one that was set near the register.

POTUS and Meek then walked over toward the entrance of the deli, where some customers and staff stood. POTUS spoke to a woman who looked like she was about to cry. He hugged her. Then he posed for a photo with some employees. 

They applauded him afterwards, and then he wandered over to the counter to the man whom he paid his bil."I understand you guys are open 24 hours,” POTUS could be heard saying as pool was escorted out.

Comments

[David]

It looks like I voted for the right man for the job of POTUS. He does care about small businesses & Joe Citizen.

[marc cooper]

He is a fake, small business is on his "plate" and Meek is on the make...

[Keep the Change]

who cares about what he ate for lunch?

[el.be]

Corned beef with mayo?????????????

[Hotel]

At least he talks to everyday people unlike some politicians

[Miami]

I like how he can just show up somewhere and order a sandwich.

[brigitte]

Slow news day?

[True Blue]

The President was hoping to run into Jeff Greene.

[Marc Aurele]

He didn't stop at the Miami Beach Mosque???

[Gina Alvarez]

He's awesome! So grateful he's our prez.

[yasmine]

love my Prez...think he is a good man.....and a great President....haters don't deter me...I'm paying attention to what's going..on

Americans sat for over 8yrs to let the Bush administration detroy this country and then we expect President Obama to make everything right in 1year..

get real ....Americans also helped detroy the economy with spending beyond our means....

everyone needs to work together to get this country back to his promise of prosperity...

folding your hands and calling our President names does not help... our Republican politicians are not helping...they rather demonize than to help working class Americans...

it is crazy...

God Bless you and your family Mr President..and keep your head UP !

[jason]

Obama doesn't have the first idea about what religious freedom means. Take Islam for example. The entire religion, and culture that surrounds it is oppressive and bigoted - to women, to anyone of another religious belief, to anyone who doesn't follow its tenets. And this a**wipe "president" of ours insists on defending an imam who has excoriated America and American people - similar to the Irreverend Wright.

[Scott Bassett]

I think most Americans forget that Obama has been in office less than twenty months (tomorrow will mark twenty months in office). That is a very short time to undo the damage that was done over many years. Both Democrats and Republicans bear responsibility for that damage. We were in a deep hole (still are to some extent), and it will take a bit longer to climb out.

Yet in less than twenty months much reform has been accomplished. It isn't perfect, and some of the most important reforms will be phased-in over several years, but Obama accomplished many things no other president was able to do. Whether or not he gets a second term, he improved this country in many ways. Sadly, we may not appreciate that until after he has left office.

For example, I was at the doctor's office yesterday. An elderly man was raging against "Obamacare" (or at least his ignorant perception of it) because the receptionist asked him to update his medical insurance information on file. That is a routine question this office has asked for over many years and has nothing to do with recent health care reform. People may be entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.

[native Floridian]

This is a poorly written article.

[Just say NO to the party of NO!]

Obama's a great guy. He genuinely cares about ALL the people of the USA. Too bad every time the progressives send a decent man to the WH, the lunatic GOP has to try to destroy him. We could go far as a nation if we worked together behind this leader, but no...

[Dave]

Corned beef with mayo is soooo Republican.

[luc dyrkacz]

It is sad. I lived near this location and a tenant in the same building used to work in a previous business here. I knew the owner, father of the present owner. The place is plastic, has no decent cooked Jewish-New York styled food which disappeared from the Beach with Wolfie's. Both this place and the food market they own on Alton Road are low class. Having Obama visit the site of a fake New York/Miami Beach deli is just another example of the Miami Herald's lack of knowledge of anything Jewish!