The mayor of a small town in the Philadelphia suburbs can offer a guarantee to his constituents: He won't be going to bed hungry.
Jenkintown Mayor Ed Foley is eating at every one of the town's 24 restaurants Saturday to draw attention to its burgeoning restaurant scene.
Foley live tweeted the event using the hashtag #EatJenkintown and posted updates to his Facebook page throughout the day.
Before his 16th stop of the day, he said that he's had to battle "mom guilt" from
restaurant staff as he's been eating his way around the borough.
The second-term Democrat says he's not counting calories, but he did weigh himself before starting with a single pancake from IHOP at 6 a.m.
One lonely pancake. Probably too much. Pacing will be critical.
— Ed Foley (@MayorFoley) April 19, 2014
He said several restaurants have opened in Jenkintown in recent years -- and more are poised to join them in the coming months -- but he was surprised to count them and see 24 restaurants now populate a town of less than a single square mile.
About 20 years ago, he said, Jenkintown had only one place to eat.
At some stops he was able to limit his intake: an egg and a piece of bacon at Joey Tate's, a single cupcake at Velvet Sky.
But when he hit La Pergola, his request for one latke produced three -- along with a bowl of matzo ball soup.
And at Taste the Difference, a soul food takeout and catering place, they responded to his humble order of rice and beans with two ribs, collard greens and macaroni and cheese.
"I ate it all," Foley said.
After chowing down on some personal pan cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Lady, the mayor made his own dessert.
Foley, who is also a marketing manager for a Philadelphia insurance company, is using the meal marathon to promote Jenkintown's first restaurant week, which starts Tuesday. More than a dozen restaurants will offer special discounts from April 22 to April 26 as part of Dine Out Jenkintown.
The mayor sampled all the participating eateries, finishing off his gut-busting campaign at the Drake Tavern.
