The accuracy of election polls may be questionable, but politicians are sinking their teeth into the (b)unofficial poll at Burger Heaven.
NDP leader John Horgan dropped by the local eatery for lunch with New West candidate Judy Darcy on Monday afternoon. While the NDP held the lead in the local burger poll at that time, the Liberals tried to take a bite out of Horgan’s visit to Burger Heaven.
“They tried to stack the vote,” said Chris Geib, the restaurant’s general manager. “They phoned in a whole schwackload of orders to go, just before the NDP crew came in. They had about eight or nine orders, there was probably about 110 Liberal burgers altogether. Since I’ve been here, that’s the first time that has ever happened.”
While the majority of Horgan’s entourage dined on the NDP burger, a few ordered off the menu – but still got to cast a vote for the NDP.
“They definitely closed the gap yesterday, that’s for sure,” Geib said of the Liberals. “When the NDP came in yesterday, they (Liberals) were about 100 votes down.”
Although the NDP was leading with 329 votes as of Tuesday afternoon, followed by the Liberals at 310, the Greens at 284 and undecided voters at 82, that changed after a Green surge on Tuesday night, when the party held an event with leader Andrew Weaver at Douglas College and an entourage dropped in for dinner.
“There ended up being a lot more than we expected. Just from them alone, I think there was 60. That actually put the Green party ahead of everybody by one vote,” Geib said. “They just squeaked it out last night.”
As of the Record’s press time, the Greens led with 354, the NDP was one vote behind at 353 and the Liberals had 315 votes. Weaver had a quick burger Tuesday night before departing.
“We are just waiting on Christy Clark now,” Geib said.
If the poll is any indication, Geib believes the provincial election could be a lot closer race than many people might think. At this time in the campaign, he said the Green party is usually only in double digits.
“I have never seen it go up and down the way it has. Usually, when it starts out it is NDP and it’s NDP all the way through for us,” he said. “This is the first time I have ever seen the Liberals come as close as they have and then you turn around and the Green party is on top. We will have to wait and see what happens. It is very interesting.”
While the burger poll doesn’t always get it right, it has a pretty good record of accurately predicting who will represent New Westminster in Victoria.
“We are probably about 95 per cent correct as to who the local MLA will be,” Geib said. “When it comes to the overall, we are probably closer to a 50-50 split, whether it’s provincially or federally.”
Before eating his burger, Horgan took a brief shift in Burger Heaven’s kitchen.
“He flipped a few burgers. We had him cook his own burger. He seemed to enjoy it,” Geib said. “I offered him a job. I said, ‘If the political thing doesn’t work out for you, you can always have a job working here.’”
Cheddar cheese or mango habanero sauce?
The Burger Heaven poll, which runs until May 8, serves up four different burgers.
Here, direct from the menu, are their descriptions:
* The Christy Clark Burger (Liberal Party) is a lean-to-the right Grade A burger that’s been on the front burner for the past four years and wants to stay there. It includes a slab of B.C. cheddar cheese, special CC sauce and milder o(u)nions. According to the proverbial “pipeline,” this very well-seasoned burger wants to lead again so as to stimulate the economy and ensure that the minimum wage is raised for BH servers as well as others to ensure that burger consumers (British Columbians) come first.
* The John Horgan Burger (NDP). To spice things up, this tasty Nicely Done Patty of lean-to-the-left Grade A beef is attempting to gain “ground” on the front left burner as it stirs the pot, trying to take a bite out of the Liberal burger and form a government that works for all burger consumers (British Columbians). It includes strong o(u)unions, red tomato, a sharp slice of B.C. mozzarella and a dollop of H-organ-ic mango habanero sauce. “Lettuce lead and we’ll Relish in the opportunity to drain some fat out of the liberally cut slice of bacon and make sure that, if this burger eater works hard, he or she is paid a fair wage.”
* The Andrew Weaver Burger (Green Party). Grilled on the back left burner using clean fuel to avoid toxic emissions, this Grade A Burger cuts the mustard with our environmentally-conscious customer and includes a slice of organically-grown green tomato and green lettuce and has come a long way to “ketchup” in the political kitchen of popularity. Also, this burger has been cooked in the proverbial frying pan without union or corporate donations and focuses on building a sustainable green economy and “boosting the tech sector to create clean/green jobs.” This burger could “Weave(r)” from the back of the stove to the front burner.
* The (b)undecided/other burger. This one’s for diners/voters who aren’t quite sure which burger candidate they want to select.
