- A restaurant in Texas called Trump Burger has become a hit with locals, per The Houston Chronicle.
- The restaurant is located in Austin County, where nearly 8 in 10 voters backed Trump in 2020.
- Its owner told the Chronicle he opened the eatery out of appreciation for Trump's economic policies.
A Texas restaurant set up as a shrine to Donald Trump has become a hit with tourists and locals, its owner has claimed.
Roland Beainy, a second-generation Lebanese-American and Trump supporter, told the Houston Chronicle he opened the restaurant in Bellville, Texas in 2020, a year after moving back to the US after living in Lebanon for several years.
"Being an immigrant from a place where everything is bad and you work for almost $200, you see somebody like him to support the country and get the economy doing better. Me being an entrepreneur, I appreciate what he did," he told the newspaper.
Politically themed restaurants can become divisive, but the metrics appear in Beainy's favor given Trump won almost 80% of the vote in Austin County where Bellville is located in 2020.
One local told the Chronicle he wasn't very political but enjoyed eating there for the service, and found the decorations amusing, while another said the restaurant was packed on weekends.
Trump's approval rating among Republicans is falling, with a recent New York Times poll placing his support at 49%. But he remains the overwhelming favorite for the GOP nomination. Indeed, "Trump 2024" banners hang proudly in the restaurant.
In the meantime, Beainy told the Chronicle he has had to deal with the downsides of setting up a business dedicated to the President with the second-lowest final approval rating on record.
"We got a lot of bad calls at the start – people who wanted to burn the place down," Beainy told the newspaper. "It was scary at first, but we don't have those calls anymore. We have a great following, and not all of them are Trump supporters. They come for the food and the service."
Beainy is hopeful that Trump will stop by for a meal one day, saying he has some contacts that could get to the 45th President. Based on previously reported eating habits, its menu could appeal to him given his fondness for McDonald's.
Tokyo-based Munch's Burger Shack had similar success when it dedicated a burger meal to Trump after he ate there in 2017.