How Restaurants Become Key Stops on the Campaign Trail | Eater

"I started to suspect this was going to be a big deal when Michael De Los Santos saw a bunch of guys in suits and sunglasses eating at his restaurant earlier that week; his staff even joked they thought FBI agents were there. Secret Service agents had actually been scoping the place, and on Juneteenth 2024 De Los Santos hosted second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who met with other politicians, spoke about North Carolina’s importance to the presidential election, and asked for a tour of the smoker — he was excited to see the briskets on the smoker and had a staffer take pictures of him with the meat. As a Black-owned business in East Durham, De Los Santos believes the visit was meant to send a message about connecting with a historically Black community, and he says the restaurant doesn’t discriminate against hosting events for any party (though he notes Republicans haven’t asked); he later introduced Kamala Harris at a rally in Raleigh." - Jaya Saxena