Jordan Tipley, 38, was just about to bite down on his hamburger at Triangle Char & Bar in West Ashley when the scorch marks across the top of the bun caught his eye.
“I almost choked on a pickle slice, I was so shocked,” says Tipley.
Recognizing the face of Charleston City’s Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., Tipley immediately hailed down his waitress and asked if the emblazoned portraiture had been intentional.
“It was such a perfect likeness, I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t put there on purpose,” says Tipley.
His waitress, Madeline Parrow, confirmed that the burnt bust was completely accidental and alerted the restaurant manager to the startling incident. Within minutes, reporters from area newspapers were crowding into the bar, elbowing each other out of the way to get a shot of the look-a-like loaf.
“If someone had spent hours getting the scorch marks just right, they couldn’t have done a better job,” says local reporter Kurt Hamburger, who wanted to note that his last name had nothing to do with his quick response to the incident.
As quickly as the press put out the miracle bun story, social media was already way ahead of them. Memes of the bun had already topped 500,000 by the time the local daily posted a report.
“Riley Rides The Ham” and “I Support Traditional Hamburgers” were some of the top images listed, though popular photoshops of the image show the hamburger being consumed by U.S. House Representative Tim Scott and Paula Deen riding it over the Arthur Ravenel Bridge.
For now, Triangle plans to preserve the bun and put it on display behind the bar where patrons can have their picture taken with it for $5.
Happy April Fools!
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