Jenna Bush Hager says her dad, former U.S. President George W. Bush, doesn’t like to waste time when he goes out to eat.
On the Aug. 26 episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Jenna said her father would sometimes call the restaurant in advance to order his meal so it’s ready by the time he arrives.
“Noooo,” her guest co-host Willie Geist said in disbelief while the two discussed the perks of hanging out earlier in the day around 4:30 p.m.
Though Jenna said that she’s “opposed” to her dad doing that, she explained that he does have a “restless personality.” So if she gets the heads-up that he called in ahead, then Jenna said that she would try to order her meal over the phone, too.
However, Jenna explained that can be awkward as well.
“I was like, ‘I guess I’ll have the pasta Alfredo,’” she said in a nervous tone.
“It was like at 3 p.m. on a Friday. So I think the 4:30 prevents the sort of, ‘Uh-oh, this is the rush where I can’t get my food in time,’” she joked while mimicking her father.
When asked how long they’ll dine at the restaurant, Jenna said it would probably take them about half an hour. She joked that their outing would go by so fast that she and her husband, Henry Hager, would have time to spare afterward.
“Henry and I are like, ‘I guess we can stay for a nightcap because it’s still sunny outside,’” she joked.
Though Willie said that he doesn’t think this food hack can work with other people, Jenna said that it probably could because she once experienced it before when she was dining with someone else.
“I’ve also done it with a famous author once, who I’ll tell you later,” she told Willie. “But she ordered the food, and we got there, and it was waiting for us.”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t that defeat the point of going out to dinner?” Willie asked. “It’s supposed to be a social thing. Just order in at that point — with all due respect, Mr. President.”
“Yeah,” Jenna laughed.
