Billionaire investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett boasts a net worth of $83 billion, and while he might be able to afford the finer things in life, his culinary taste is quite simple.
For 18 consecutive years, Buffett has auctioned off the opportunity to have lunch with him at New York City steakhouse Smith & Wollensky. The auction has raised millions for charity, and last year, the winner offered almost $2.7 million to dine with the “Oracle of Omaha.”
The menu at the Manhattan eatery touts decadent entrees like the roasted veal chop with lemon and thyme marmalade for $54, 15 oz. cold water lobster tails for $59 and a Cajun rib steak for $59, as well as $16 craft cocktails, such as the Pendennis Club, Wallbanger Revisited and the Salty Dog.
But Buffett’s palate isn’t very pretentious.
A 2007 winner of the auction says that Buffett orders “a medium-rare steak with hash browns and a cherry coke.” For dessert, he reportedly asked the waiter for a couple of spoons, explaining that he’ll have “a little of everyone’s.”
A spokesperson for Smith & Wollensky previously confirmed that this is indeed Buffett’s preferred meal at the restaurant and that his favorite cut of steak is a sirloin. The steak is priced at $49, while the hash browns cost $15.
An order of Cherry Coke is a classic soft drink choice for the billionaire.
Buffett, 87, has long been vocal about his love for Coke, and even told Fortune in 2015 that he is “one-quarter Coca-Cola.” The sharp-minded investor claims to drink at least five 12-ounce servings every day — three during the day and two at night. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has a big stake in The Coca-Cola Company.
In April, a cartoon image of Buffett even appeared on special edition Cherry Coke cans in China, CNNMoney reports, in an effort to introduce the product in the country. Buffett reportedly allowed Coke to use his likeness for free.
And it isn’t just sugary soft drinks that Buffett has a soft spot for; he’s also known for indulging in McDonald’s every morning.
Despite his billionaire status, Buffett never spends more than $3.17 on breakfast, he explains in his HBO documentary “Becoming Warren Buffett.” In the documentary, he says that on his way to the office every morning, he stops by the Golden Arches for a breakfast item like a sausage, egg and cheese or a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.
“When I’m not feeling quite so prosperous, I might go with the $2.61, which is two sausage patties, and then I put them together and pour myself a Coke,” he tells director Peter Kunhardt in the documentary.
Buffett isn’t the only successful person to tout specific — and somewhat unhealthy — eating preferences.
Like Buffett, billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates is also a fan of McDonald’s. Gates often opts for cheeseburgers and Diet Coke, according to Joe Cerrell, the managing director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“If you get the lunchtime slot with Bill, you’re eating burgers. Someone will always be sent to get bags of McDonald’s. I don’t think Melinda lets him have them at home,” Cerrell told The Telegraph in 2016.
While campaigning for the presidency, President Donald Trump also reportedly regularly ordered a McDonald’s dinner of “two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish and a chocolate malted,” according to the book “Let Trump Be Trump” by Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie.
Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, opts for something a bit sweeter: She admitted to Food & Wine in 2014 that she consumes ice cream every morning for breakfast, likening it to a cup of coffee.
“I’ve been eating dark chocolate ice cream for breakfast for as long as I can remember. I don’t see it as different from having a cup of coffee,” Pelosi tells Food & Wine. “The flavors keep getting darker and darker, which I love. Double Rainbow has one called Ultra Chocolate; you can just imagine how delicious that is. And Three Twins, I like their Bittersweet Chocolate. Sugar cones are my thing.”
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