No Starbucks, No Salads: A field guide to campaign food

One of the best early indicators of success on Election Day is someone walking into campaign headquarters with a box of Dunkin Donut Munchkins. Not the full-size donuts, mind you. That’s the wrong vibe. It has to be the munchkins. You can basically draw a straight line from the box of munchkins to the swearing-in ceremony.

Political campaigns are replete with superstitions. Personally, I’m partial to the soft plastic yard signs. Not the corrugated ones. Those are bulky and awkward—you can’t fit more than 15 in an average-size trunk. And they act like sails in the wind. Not to mention the stakes. The time spent trying to fish the metal prongs into the tiny little plastic openings shaves probably a point and a half off your results. Cardboard signs are no better. One heavy rain and a month of field operations are reduced to wet recycling. But the soft plastic signs—the soft plastic signs are perfect. They come in a roll of a hundred or more, easily on one spool. They assemble in flash. No fishing around for little holes. And they’re resilient. Not even a determined downpour can lessen their resolve.

Food is no different. There are foods that fuel victory, and foods that spell defeat. A box of Joe from Dunkin’ Donuts and you’re halfway to your win number. If you opt for a latte from Starbucks, you might as well start drafting your concession speech now. Dunkin’ Donuts is coffee for working. You’re here for the long hours, and Dunkin’ is here for you. It’s unfussy. It’s a partner in the fight for democracy. Starbucks is like a campaign run by high-dollar donors, obnoxious kids, and McKinsey consultants. It’s a caramel foam slide deck when you need boots on the ground.

I once met with a candidate running for Congress who wanted to have our initial meeting in a Chinese restaurant. I like Chinese food as much as the next person—and as far as takeout in the campaign HQ, it works—but a kickoff meeting at a sit-down Chinese restaurant—the whole campaign was doomed before they brought the fortune cookies.





https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/no-starbucks-no-salads-a-field-guide-to-campaign-food/