Joe Burrow visits Columbus deli, leaves generous tip
Move over, Michael Cera.
There is a new contender for the most memorable celebrity sighting at Brown Bag Deli over the years.
The unexpected visit to the German Village restaurant took place just before closing time on Friday.
From his position at the grill, employee Ethan Benton heard an order for four Classic Clubs—the bestselling sandwiches featuring smoked turkey, crispy bacon and a special garlic-herb mayo sauce on locally baked sourdough bread—and began cooking.
“It was really slow until all these people came in, so it was a bit of a rush,” Benton said.
“I didn’t know who it was (at first), but it was Joe Burrow. I guess he needs his fuel,” he joked.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback enjoyed the order, which also included locally made baklava, with a group of friends. They were able to dine in without much fanfare. One lucky customer, Kate Haugh, of Bexley, took a photo with Burrow, which was shared to the Brown Bag Deli Instagram page.
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“It was wild,” Benton said. “It is cool to know I toasted up his sandwiches. ... He just seems like a nice guy.”
Brown Bag Deli owner Molly Merkle learned about Burrow's visit in a group text with her employees, who also shared that the star athlete left a $50 tip on a $57 bill.
“They just really emphasized how he was so polite and kind and obviously very generous with his tip, which is just lovely," Merkle said. "He’s a great guy.”
AnnMarie McCallister got word that Burrow bought her homemade baklava from her husband, Jeff, on Saturday morning; Merkle had tagged her on Instagram.
“My husband said, ‘Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re awake, I almost woke you up last night,'" said McCallister, of Worthington, who sells the dessert as Glad Annie's Old World Baklava solely through Brown Bag Deli. "We’ve been married 25 years; he knows not to wake me up unless it’s really important.”
Both fans of Burrow, the couple was excited.
“I’m freaking out, trying to think, ‘Oh, was that a good batch this week?’” she said. "This is the first time I’ve ever had a confirmed celebrity purchase.”
McCallister also was impressed by the quarterback's tip.
"He's just a heck of a guy," she said. "He is who we all think he is."
@miss_ethompson
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow visits Brown Bag Deli
