Regardless of the amount of work we’ve all been buried in this time in the semester, there was no way of ignoring the buzz and excitement on campus Tuesday, April 24 when President Obama arrived. Thousands of students, faculty and community members waited in line for hours on Sunday to score tickets to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event, and they were not disappointed. CU-Boulder was one stop of three on Tuesday that the President made to address lowering student loans rates. Obama spoke to the crowd of nearly 11,000 people in the Coors Event Center, and his 32-minute speech was meet with roars and cheers of approval throughout.
But in perhaps the most exciting detour in Boulder history, the President himself made a casual trip to famous The Sink restaurant on University Hill, where he surprised about 40 to 50 patrons dining on burgers and fries. Mark Heinritz, co-owner of The Sink, says that he “Found out about 20 minutes or so before [Obama] showed up,” which gave Secret Service personnel time to rope off the restaurant and take proper safety precautions.
Once inside, Obama went around to each diner shaking their hand, and spent about 30 seconds chatting with individuals. The Sink staff created a special pizza for the President called the “Sinkza,” complete with pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, olives and onion, which he took with him to eat in his presidential vehicle. To top off his visit in the true tradition of The Sink, Obama playfully signed his name in Sharpie on the ceiling next to “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri’s sketch.
Not even 24 hours after Obama’s departure from Boulder, websites are ablaze with photos of the President dining on the Hill. If you’re around and in need of a good burger, check out The Sink and don’t miss seeing Obama’s stamp on a Boulder landmark.