Famous Food

Vice President Mike Pence is sticking to the Trump administration playbook ... getting out in public without a face mask, despite close contact with Florida's Governor and citizens.

The Veep was down in Orlando Wednesday with Gov. Ron DeSantis and some other bigwigs, where they were chowing down at a restaurant called Beth's Burger Bar -- all to talk shop about safely reopening Florida's economy again.

Ironically ... the two politicos -- and just about everyone else inside -- didn't appear to observe much, if any, social distancing during lunch. In fact, they were all pretty darn close to one another ... and, of course, both men went mask-less.

It's not exactly a surprise Pence is flouting his own task force's recommendations here -- he's very rarely worn a face-covering ... despite the fact his own press secretary tested positive for the coronavirus.

Of course, the Prez and the VP are telegraphing the no-mask message to the masses, which arguably is fueling a growing rift in the country about this issue. It's even led to violence at times.

A Waffle House customer allegedly attacked and then shot a cook who told him to put a face covering on or he wouldn't be served ... and the man's now facing an attempted murder charge.

27-year-old Kelvin Watson was arrested Monday morning in Aurora, Colorado for the shooting. He was booked on a charge of attempted first-degree murder.

Cops say Watson made back-to-back visits to the Waffle House -- which was offering carry-out orders -- on Thursday and Friday after midnight, and both nights employees claim he was hostile toward them because they told him to put a mask on or he would not be served.

On Thursday, Watson allegedly pulled out a gun and placed it on the counter, telling the cook ... "I could blow your brains out right now."

When Watson returned the next night, the cook told him he would not be served, and Watson allegedly responded by slapping the cook and chasing him toward the back of the restaurant.

According to court docs ... Watson yelled at the cook, "You better shut the f*** up and serve me," before shooting him once in the chest/abdomen area outside the Waffle House. The cook told police he called 911 while running toward his home.

Fortunately, the cook was taken to the hospital and survived the shooting. A Waffle House spokesperson says he was released Friday afternoon.

Oprah is looking out for folks in the cities she's called home ... giving grants to 5 areas through her $12 million COVID-19 relief fund.

O just announced a massive pledge Wednesday through her Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, which is spreading the $12 million around underserved communities in places she's lived -- Baltimore, Chicago, Milwaukee and Nashville -- and Kosciusko, Miss., where she was born.

The beloved talk show host says wealthy people need to step up and donate, because the novel coronavirus is not going away. She says even when the virus is gone, people will still be reeling from the devastation it's causing their livelihoods, particularly folks who live paycheck to paycheck and are burning through savings amid the raging pandemic.

Oprah says she's donating to the 5 cities she once called home because it's important to look into your own backyard and your own neighborhood to see how you can help less fortunate souls.

O is giving $5 million to Live Healthy Chicago, an organization supporting seniors and other high-risk residents affected by COVID-19, after speaking with Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Down in Nashville, where Oprah started her media career while living with her father, she's giving $2 mill to NashvilleNurtures, a collab between her alma mater Tennessee State University and Mount Zion Baptist Church. The funds will put food on the plates of 10,000 local families.

Over in Milwaukee, where Oprah lived with her mom, she's donating $100,000 to SaintA and The Nia Imani Family, Inc. to aid those in need of mental health care and housing.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, where Oprah also built her media empire, she's giving funds to the Center For Urban Families and Living Classrooms Foundation.

And, in her birthplace, Oprah is donating another $115,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi.

As we reported ... Oprah announced her coronavirus relief fund in April, initially pledging $1 million to feed food-insecure Americans, and just last week she challenged 2020 graduates to find their essential service in her virtual commencement speech.

O says she challenged herself to do the same, and she's putting a lot of money where her mouth is.

A Grubhub driver is accused of running over a Chicago restaurant worker after he allegedly threw a fit when asked to socially distance -- now, cops say he's turned himself in.

The wild incident was partially captured on video from Friday evening out in the Lakeview neighborhood, where Angenita Tanner -- owner of Ms. T's Southern Fried Chicken on Chicago's northside -- was seen arguing with a purported Grubhub driver she and her staff had apparently just gotten into it with inside, all because he wouldn't follow directions.

Tanner says the guy showed up to pick up a delivery for a Grubhub customer, but when Tanner told him to wait outside since she only lets one person in at a time ... he allegedly started losing it and caused a ruckus, kicking the door and storming out -- per Tanner.

She, her 24-year-old daughter, Bijan Early, and at least one other employee who whipped out his camera followed the dude to get his license plate and call the cops. An argument ensued as Tanner went back and forth with the guy, while Bijan stood in front of his car.

You can see what happens next here -- the guy is seen accelerating and hitting Bijan before the clip quickly cuts out. According to Tanner, the incident did not end there -- she told police the man completely ran Bijan over, sending her to the hospital with serious injuries.

Tanner says Bijan suffered multiple broken bones and had to go into surgery -- fortunately, it sounds like she's going to recover. Meanwhile, Chicago PD says someone has turned themselves in over the alleged crime. No further info on the perp is immediately available.

As for Grubhub, they condemned the alleged hit-and-run ... saying they've revoked the driver's credentials and are working with cops to provide any necessary info for the investigation.

Even Wolfgang Puck is not immune to the devastating toll the pandemic is taking on the restaurant biz -- his D.C. eatery is closing for good after 13 years.

The Source By Wolfgang Puck is reportedly closing permanently due to financial challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus. It's an unceremonious end to the modern Asian restaurant that served as the celebrity chef's first foray into the nation's capital.

The Source dished out meals to tourists and locals from its location underneath the Newseum. Their hot pots and izakaya also attracted a power crowd of celebs and politicians.

The restaurant was forced to furlough workers back in March, when the district banned dine-in service to limit the spread of COVID-19. Now, the landlord says there is no path to a successful return under new coronavirus restrictions.

The closure could be a bad omen for other popular restaurants across the country ... especially those in high rent locations. If the pandemic can force one of the world's most famous chefs to shutter his doors, no restaurateur should feel safe.

Don't stick a fork in Wolfgang's D.C. game just yet -- his high-end steakhouse in Georgetown, CUT, is looking forward to fully reopening.

Restaurants are desperately trying to stay afloat during the pandemic ... and that means customers bucking up -- so, welcome to the age of COVID surcharges.

Por ejemplo ... Goog's Pub & Grub in Holland, Michigan recently started implementing its own COVID "tax" of sorts. Owner Brad White tells TMZ ... he's had to add the charge to cover skyrocketing prices for food and restaurant supplies.

White says his joint added an extra 86 cents to all bills to factor in to-go bags, silverware, condiments and styrofoam containers since, at this moment, restaurants in Michigan are limited to delivery and take-out only.

White says the popular burger joint usually pumps out 1,500 burgers a week and before the pandemic hit hard they were paying $50 for a case of beef. The price is now a whopping $96 per case. COVID cases hitting meat factories hard across the country contributed to that.

The public seems to get why the surcharge -- first reported by FOX17 -- is necessary. White says most people understand it's necessary to help the restaurant level off costs, but he adds some have accused him of trying to exploit the pandemic to rip off customers.

He says, "That's the furthest thing from the truth" -- and points out he's also had to downsize from 35 employees to 16. He's trying to help out his remaining staff by raising their hourly wage from $6 to $10. Point is, they're scraping by like millions across the country.

He's not on an island, mind you -- lots restaurants, including some in California and Missouri, have also added surcharges.

The hope, White says, his hope is to eliminate the COVID "tax" when things get back to normal ... or as normal as things can get these days.

The deadly pandemic is doing nothing to shut down the unsafe, breeding grounds for disease that are wet markets ... they're still operating all across Asia, and in the U.S. for that matter.

This shocking new footage from PETA was shot at blood-soaked wet markets in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand ... and it shows the filthy conditions where live dogs, bats, monkeys, snakes, civets, birds, cats, rabbits, ducks and chickens are bought and sold.

As you can see ... a wet market in Indonesia keeps bats, civets, monkeys, birds, rabbits and cats in cages covered with layers of feces and rotten food. One rabbit even convulses and dies right in front of the camera.

Bats have been linked to COVID-19 -- some scientists say the animals are at the center of the outbreak -- and civets have been linked to SARS.

In Thailand, ducks and chickens are crammed into cages wing-to-wing ... and in the Philippines, wet market workers casually wear sandals as they walk across blood-soaked floors to slice up pigs and birds with their bare hands.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, a counter near living animals is stacked high with the cooked dog heads and other body parts of the poor pooches.

One image is constant across these Asian wet markets ... the floors are covered with blood, guts and water.

It's not just an issue in Asia ... as we've reported, wet markets also exist here in New York, California and Texas.

PETA is using this shocking new footage to call upon the World Health Organization to urge the shutdown of live-animal markets across the globe, including those still operating here in the States.

A three Michelin star restaurant in Virginia has come up with one helluva model to provide social distancing while also helping you avoid that lonely feeling.

The Inn at Little Washington -- about 70 miles outside Washington, D.C. -- is gonna deploy mannequins to fill in the joint. It won't be weird or anything though for customers ... 'cause they're life-size mannequins. Think of it as dining with a really boring friend.

Oh, but the mannequins will be decked out in 1940s era clothing to recreate America's post-World War II celebrations. Ok, that's a little weird.

The move from chef Patrick O'Connell comes after a mandate to cap restaurant capacity at 50% in an effort to keep diners properly social distanced -- but appearances clearly matter to O'Connell.

He's been working with Shirlington's Signature Theater to get the mannequins. And, get this ... when the restaurant opens on May 29 servers will be instructed to pour the mannequins wine and ask them about their evening ... according to the Washingtonian.

So, why the stunt? O'Connell told the outlet, "I think it would do people a world of good to reduce their anxiety level when they come out to a place which is still unaffected, because if you watch your television, you think that there isn't such a place under a bubble."

BTW, the chef has also created custom-made masks with Marilyn Monroe smiles and George Washington chins. The move perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise. For starters, O'Connell reportedly majored in drama in college.

The restaurant also boasts that dining at its joint "has been likened to a performance with the guest always playing the star role."

The company's a little stiff, but ya get a good show! Life's about compromises.