It’s not every day that a former U.S. president walks into a Central Texas taqueria for a meal, but yesterday was an exception. Former President Barack Obama, alongside two prominent Texas politicians, made a surprise visit to Taco Joint near the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, May 12. And the manager of the taco spot said that “everybody’s jaw just dropped” the moment Obama got out of his car.
The former president was joined by Texas Rep. James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate and Texas governor, inside the Taco Joint located near the UT Austin campus at 2809 San Jacinto Boulevard.
Taco Joint’s general manager, Lilia Valdez, told MySA that Talarico’s team had contacted the restaurant beforehand to let them know he and Hinojosa would be visiting the restaurant on Tuesday, but she said they had no idea Obama would also be in attendance.
“We just thought it was just going to be them two,” Valdez said. “Then they let us know, when the security detail came in, by the way, there’s going to be a surprise person, a VIP person, coming in, and we did not know until he [Obama] got out of the motor car, and everybody’s jaw just dropped.”
Valdez described Obama’s visit as “an amazing surprise for everyone that was just dining in.” She said the group ordered a couple of street tacos, a mole taco and Talarico had some standard breakfast tacos.
“It was an absolutely great experience to meet and speak with the President,” Valdez said. “All of us got to have a nice little handshake and a little chat. He was the most courteous, down-to-earth person that I’ve ever met in politics.”
While Obama was a newcomer to the restaurant, Valdez said Talarico used to frequent Taco Joint for years when he was a seminary student in Austin. She said Talarico still “pops in periodically to get lunch,” but ever since he began his campaign for U.S. Senate, his schedule has been a lost more busy.
She is currently running for Texas governor against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term in office. April polls suggest Hinojosa is within five points of Abbott, as Democrats like her and Talarico seek to re-energize their party and take back the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.