Viral Meme About $78 Meal At Newark Airport Stirs Up The Internet

NEWARK, NJ — A burger, some fries and a stiff glass of booze. This meal at a Newark Airport eatery – which reportedly cost a whopping $78 – was recently captured in a social media post that has seen millions of views from outraged travelers.

Earlier this week, David Brooks, a columnist with The New York Times, stirred up the internet with a post on X that depicted the above combo, along with the caption: “This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible.”

As might be expected, the post inspired a wave of criticism.

“Unacceptable – for even half of that, travelers should not buy this and just get a snack candy or cookie at the newsstands,” one person commented.

“That could be a Republican campaign ad,” another commenter wrote. “Pretty sad.”

Since then, other people have questioned how the $78 figure was reached, with some suggesting that the photo was taken at the Smokehouse Restaurant in Terminal A, where an order of burger and fries costs significantly less.

The internet has since exploded with reaction memes to Brooks' original post, with many sharing photos of other implausibly priced "$78 items."

Even New Jersey's official X account jumped aboard the bandwagon, firing out a tongue-in-cheek message: "I can take the drink off your hands."

However, it hasn’t been the first time that a traveler has complained about high prices at the busy airport, which is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which leases space to individual restaurants and retailers.

Last year, the Port Authority announced it was launching a series of measures to ensure that any goods being sold at its airports are being sold for “street prices” – with a maximum of 10 percent extra. Read More: Port Authority Agrees With The Internet: $27 Airport Beer Is A Ripoff

According to the Port Authority, which also manages JFK and LaGuardia airports, here are the current rules when it comes to selling food and drinks:

“The policy caps all concession prices at local, off-airport ‘street prices’ plus a maximum surcharge of 10 percent, and requires concessionaries to offer lower-priced food and beverage options to provide a wider range of value for customers.”

The Port Authority said its independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched a review of prices at the three airports in July 2021, after a traveler’s complaint about a $27 beer at LaGuardia Airport went viral on social media.

The Port Authority said any customer who suspects a pricing violation is taking place can report it via social media by tagging the relevant airport: @EWRAirport, @JFKAirport, or @LGAAirport.

It isn’t just booze that costs an arm and a leg at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia, either.

In 2021, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. of New Jersey’s 10th District – which includes Newark – joined three of his colleagues in a scathing letter to the inspector general of the Port Authority. In their letter, the congress members blasted prices of food and drinks at the three airports, which also included $11 fries and a $4 small orange juice.

Referencing a recent report from the New York Post, the congressmen said that the region has become "the object of ridicule and scorn."

"Simply put: travel is stressful enough," they wrote. "Being bamboozled at the bar for a bottle of beer is no way for our region to greet or wave goodbye to our neighbors."

• Read More: $11 Fries At Newark Airport Are 'Price Gouging,' Congressman Says

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.