Thunderbird Pies
Audio By Carbonatix
This divisive election season has seeped into all facets of everyday life. This summer as campaign caravans pummeled swing states, restaurants were often ground zero for candidates connecting with locals – or at least to seem connected by eating local fare. And while some restaurants loved the attention, some shrank from the spotlight of a campaign stop, as the Wall Street Journal wrote about in “For the Local Shop, the Once-Prized Campaign Stop Brings Trouble.”
Alas, we all gotta eat. And in this hyperpartisan time, drink as well. Heck, the end of political ads is a reason to pop a bottle of bubbly.
Some restaurants are offering discounts with an “I Voted” sticker. You can get a small Budd Pizza at Thunderbird Pies for $10 (dine-in only). Malai Kitchen will offer happy hour prices all day at each of its four locations (no sticker needed). Miznon, the Mediterranean restaurant and bar in Deep Ellum, is offering 20% off the menu with a sticker.
But the gravity of the day feels a bit heavier than a discounted dinner. And while some take it more seriously than others, others just make fun of it all, which might be the healthiest path (because evidently crying in your pillow isn’t).
“Well it’s the great nervous time every four years where pollsters say half the country wants incurable diarrhea and the other half wants a free puppy, but here we are,” says Lee Daugherty, owner of Alexandre’s.
Daugherty likes seeing other bars in his neighborhood on Cedar Springs get on board in doing election night events.
“For years, we paved the way for being proud of our core principles where many owners are scared to offend clientele. We will be having a special edition of Broadway on a Tuesday with a Hamilton theme with the screens all on and myself propped up in the corner with my laptop and Twitter calling races,” says Daugherty.
Cafe Nubia, a lounge in North Dallas that serves Mediterranean and African fare, hosts an election day party that starts when the polls close at 7 p.m. with an all-night happy hour. Co-owner Kenechi “KC” Nnamani sees the election night as bigger than any game or pop-culture event that restaurants typically host. “We pride ourselves on fostering a positive environment that encourages conversations,” KC says. “Gusts of all political affiliations are welcome.”
In Deep Ellum, Jude Akpunku, co-owner of Miznon, is excited about the democratic process playing out. “Like any night, we’ll prioritize security measures and have onsite security present,” Akpunku said when asked about any potential unrest.
Jeff Biehler, co-owner of Cheapsteaks in Deep Ellum, hopes there will be a collective neighborhood celebration with a Trump defeat.
Ramzy Hattar at River Pig on Lower Greenville says he expects people will be out, but he gets a sense of frustration with the candidates of this election. Either way, they’ll have the election results playing on the TVs with the sound on.
The Grapevine bar has long been know as an “everybody bar.” Co-owner Michelle Honea wants to keep it that way and will implement its “TX/OU system,” referring to the annual football game that draws fans from both sides for the Red River Rivalry.
“The coverage will be on with subtitles but no sound,” she says. But she also has a warning: “One outburst and we’ll put on ‘The History of Underwater Basket Weaving in 16th-Century Madagascar.'”
That sounds oddly appealing, but she realizes that with technology there’s no way to completely avoid the noise, even though we may not know the election results for days. Still, she realizes the importance of bars in times like these.
“People are exhausted by the constant barrage of attack ads and sick of the high-strung rhetoric – it’s me, I’m people,” Honea jokes. “It’ll be available for those who want, but for those who don’t, we have a kick-ass jukebox, an amazing patio and fantastic bartenders.”
If nothing else, one of their frozen Bellinis, Pompoms or Tangaritas will ease your pain or at least help to drown out the noise for a bit.
