Top Chicago restaurateur invites Clemson Tigers ‘to experience what an actual celebration dinner should be’ at some of city’s most famous eateries
- Clemson Tigers have been invited to high-end restaurants in Chicago
- Nick Kokonas, the co-owner of Alinea Group, invited the college football national champions
- Kokonas co-owns a number of Chicago restaurants, including Alinea, Next, Roister, and The Aviary
- The Tigers were treated to Big Macs, Whoppers, fries, and chicken nuggets by President Trump at the White House on Monday
After dining on fast food during their visit to the White House, the Clemson Tigers have been invited to eat at some of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants.
Nick Kokonas, the co-owner of the Alinea Group, invited the college football national champions ‘to experience what an actual celebration dinner should be.’
The move comes after President Donald Trump on Monday served the players fast-food hamburgers and pizza.
The Alinea Group includes the restaurants Alinea, Next, Roister and The Aviary.
Alinea’s chef, Grant Achatz, has been called one of the world’s most influential.
A Clemson player carries fast food hamburgers provided due to the partial government shutdown as the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers are welcomed in the State Dining Room of the White House on Monday
The co-owner of several high-end restaurants in Chicago invited the football team to sample fine cuisine cooked up by renowned chef Grant Achatz (left). The image on the right shows a wild mushroom course created by Achatz
The above image shows a humorous chicken dish at Next restaurant in Chicago, one of the eateries that has invited the Clemson football team
Kokonas tweeted that he could ‘care less’ about college football, but added that ‘this is about showing them how a proper celebration looks in adulthood.’
Clemson has not yet responded to the invitation.
Trump said Tuesday on Twitter that he had bought ‘over 1000’ fast-food sandwiches and other entrees from restaurants to feed the Clemson football team at the White House.
‘Great being with the National Champion Clemson Tigers last night at the White House,’ Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
‘Because of the Shutdown I served them massive amounts of Fast Food (I paid), over 1000 hamberders [sic] etc. Within one hour, it was all gone. Great guys and big eaters!’
Clemson offensive guard Matt Bockhorst, a red-shirt freshman, responded to a viral photo of him staring longingly at a platter of burgers, tweeting: ‘I mean you’re not just gonna NOT eat the Big Macs stacked in a pile right?’
Trump announced during the Monday night event that he had ‘1,000 hamburgers’ delivered to the East Room, where chicken nuggets and pizza were also served.
He had told reporters hour earlier that he paid for 300 burgers.
The president also joked that he nearly fed the hungry football players salads prepared by the first lady – but decided to serve up the greasy favorites instead.
After dining on fast food during their visit to the White House, the Clemson Tigers have been invited to eat at some of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants. President Trump is seen above near the fast food that was bought for the football team on Monday
Trump paid for the smorgasbord himself rather than postpone the event because White House caterers aren’t at work during a partial government shutdown.
‘We ordered American fast food. Paid for by me. Lots of hamburgers, lots of pizza, I think they’d like it better than anything we could give,’ Trump told reporters as he arrived at the White House after a speech to farmers in Louisiana.
‘We have some very large people that like eating, so I think we’re gonna have a little fun.’
The president said in remarks to the team: ‘I had a choice: do we have no food for you, because we have a shutdown, or do we give you some little quick salads that the First Lady will make along with the Second Lady, they’ll make some salads. And I said, you guys aren’t into salads.’
Trump’s comment about the First and Second Lady possibly preparing salad for the football team angered Twitter users as well as commentators on cable news giant CNN who accused the President of sexism.