Claims of 'juicy' burger created for Vladimir Putin's birthday were fake news, says NY restaurant

'Juicy': The five-decker burger reportedly weighed 1,952 grams in tribute to the president's birth year.
Ruptly
Eleanor Rose9 October 2017

A New York restaurant has hit back after a Kremlin-backed news agency claimed it made a special birthday burger in honour of Vladimir Putin.

Russian state TV reported this weekend that Lucy's Cantina Royale concocted a five-decker “Putinburger” to celebrate the Russian president's 65th birthday, marked on October 7th.

The giant, "juicy" sandwich was served with spicy fries, claimed news reports which also carried images of the burger that appeared to have been taken in the restaurant.

Government-owned news agency Tass also reported that "restaurant manager Ted Bryan" said Mr Putin was the only state leader whose birthday is celebrated in this way.

The news report read: "Bryan stated that Putin has significant influence. 'So the burger must be big,' he added."

State-backed agency Ruptly quoted a waitress at Lucy's Cantina Royale who said the sandwich weighed 1,952 grams in a nod to Putin's birth year, 1952.

But Russian journalist Alexey Kovalev smelled a rat when he studied pictures in the news reports and saw that special advertising flyers for the burger were placed on only one table in the restaurant.

He phone the eatery, which said the Putinburger was fake news. "The restaurant was very surprised," Mr Kovalev wrote in a blog post.

Sean Ryan, spokesman for Lucy's Cantina Royale, wrote in an email published to Kovalev's website: "Lucy's Cantina Royale was the subject of a hoax involving Vladimir Putin's birthday.

“Our restaurant has never celebrated Vladimir Putin’s birthday in any way, shape or form and has never offered a Putin burger."

The comments were confirmed to the Guardian.

He added that it appeared a waitress working at the restaurant had claimed to be shooting for a student project in the restaurant recently, and was now under investigation.

Lucy's Cantina Royale was contacted for comment

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