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Tim Carman

@timcarman.bsky.social
1.1K followers 178 following 125 posts

Food writer for The Washington Post.

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
You’re not imagining it. Burger inflation is real. We have the data. Gift link: wapo.st/4xofJeT
wapo.st
How the restaurant burger went from cheap indulgence to luxury meal
The $30 burger can be found on menus from New York to California, despite efforts to rein in soaring beef prices.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts has expanded into the Mid-Atlantic. Which means I now have (sort of) daily access to the chain’s kolaches for the first time in 25 years. I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4iRbpBg
wapo.st
Column | What happens when a beloved food chain reappears in your life? It’s complicated.
I survived on Shipley kolaches in Houston. As the chain moved East, it stayed the same, but I’ve changed.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
You might be surprised by my take on BK’s new chicken nuggets. I certainly was, until I learned who the chef was behind the revamped nugs. Gift link: wapo.st/4i6MR76
wapo.st
Burger King’s revamped chicken nuggets set a new standard for fast food
Burger King is officially back in the fast-food chicken game.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Some thoughts about the new film on Anthony Bourdain. Gift link: wapo.st/4qczAfi
wapo.st
Analysis | What the Anthony Bourdain biopic misses about his life and legacy
“Tony” wants viewers to see Anthony Bourdain’s time as a teenage cook in Provincetown, Massachusetts, as a hopeful spark, not the beginning of a descent.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This was a terrible story to report and, no doubt, a difficult one to read. Gift link: wapo.st/3RnPgiQ
wapo.st
Judge bars chef Eric Adjepong from being alone with daughter after abuse finding
A Maryland judge has issued a protective order that prohibits the chef and TV host from contacting his daughter without supervision.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
File this under things I will never eat again. Gift link: wapo.st/4h5PtSj
wapo.st
Review | The Spam Dog is too much of a good-ish thing
This new dog floods your palate with pork flavor, but then the stomach gurgling begins.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
And just published this morning. Some thoughts about the MAHA programming at the Great American State Fair. Again, gift link: wapo.st/4bwe5zG
wapo.st
Analysis | The deep-fried contradiction of MAHA Mondays at the Great American State Fair
The fair in D.C. dedicates days to the Make America Healthy Again movement but is littered with junk-food temptations — just like everywhere else in America.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I'm playing a little catch-up on stories this week. First up, ICYMI, was a piece about JD Vance and his family raising chickens at the Naval Observatory. We had questions. Gift link: wapo.st/44mdRHx
wapo.st
Column | The Vances added a chicken coop to the vice president’s residence. We had questions.
Who will be raising the hens at the Naval Observatory? And why are the Vances taking on this project?
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
The fried apple pie is back at McDonald's to celebrate America's birthday. It's a gift no one needs and most everyone of a certain age will want, if mostly to see if it can match the memories of their youth. I was one of those people. Gift link: wapo.st/4oFBx2U
wapo.st
Review | McDonald’s new fried apple pie can’t live up to its lore
The hand pie, back for America’s 250th birthday, is no match for childhood nostalgia.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Do you raise backyard chickens? I'd love to talk to you! Reply here if interested.
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Society for Features Journalism @wearesfj.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
FOOD WRITING PORTFOLIO, DIV 3 2026 SFJ winners: 🥇 1st: @timcarman.bsky.social - Washington Post 🥈 2nd: @hannaraskin.bsky.social - The Food Section 🥉 3rd: @breij.bsky.social - LA Times 🏅 HM: MacKenzie Chung Fegan - @sfchronicle.com #SFJAwards
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This was, perhaps, predictable, though it seems many restaurants are reconsidering the service charge option after learning about the tax and payroll implications. Gift link: wapo.st/43t6eyF
wapo.st
Restaurants add World Cup service charges, fearing tourists won’t tip
Operators in U.S. host cities say they want to ensure workers share in the financial benefits that the tournament will bring.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
I had this brief, exquisite moment at Huong Viet recently. I was compelled to write about it: to figure out how it happened and why it’s important. Gift link: wapo.st/4fv98Kz
wapo.st
Column | How I found bliss in dish No. 140 at a Vietnamese strip-mall restaurant
Here’s your reminder to look for the ecstatic in the prosaic, no matter where life takes you.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Curious if those in the business of feeding people agree with Dina Daniel from Fava Pot: Will Sysco’s planned purchase of Restaurant Depot lead to higher prices at the discount wholesaler? Gift link: wapo.st/43tINp3
wapo.st
As restaurants struggle with costs, a major food supplier deal raises new fears
Restaurant Depot is a lifeline for small businesses. Many hope its sale to industry giant Sysco falls through.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
The owner of Martin's Tavern had no idea his historic pub would be featured on SNL this weekend. He was sound asleep by the time the skit aired. Gift link: wapo.st/4eFy0ij
wapo.st
Martin’s Tavern owner hopes SNL cameo gets people to ‘lighten up and laugh’
The historic Georgetown restaurant’s bar was the backdrop for a booze-fueled cold open featuring Trump administration officials.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
"It’s been a time of change and loss at The [Washington] Post. Some losses hurt the most because they can never be reversed." dandiamond.substack.com/p/dan-eggen-... RIP to the great Dan Eggen, who pulled no punches. He was laid off in February. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Dan Eggen, who shaped politics coverage at The Post, dies at 60
He helped guide Pulitzer Prize-winning projects, including coverage of Russian election interference in 2016 and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The original Ben’s Chili Bowl returns to action in less than two weeks, but the Ali family is keeping many of the details under wraps. They have a good reason. Gift link: wapo.st/4tWlyPg
wapo.st
Ben’s Chili Bowl hopes May reopening meets its matriarch’s standards
Improvements to the historic U Street diner, shuttered since last summer, are being kept under wraps until a May 1 unveiling to Virginia Ali and the public.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The late Tanios “Tony” Abi-Najm fled a civil war in Lebanon at age 44. He made a new life for himself and his family in the DC area, where he spread Lebanese food and culture far beyond his native land. This is his story and the story of Lebanese Taverna. wapo.st/3QmPQwc
wapo.st
How Lebanese Taverna’s founder made an outsize impact on D.C. dining
The restaurant’s patriarch, Tanios Abi-Najm, fled war-ravaged Beirut before starting Lebanese Taverna in 1979. He died last week at 94.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
I spent a lovely afternoon going through the late food writer Marian Burros's home office. I read through her papers, sifted through her cookbooks, and examined her photos, all of which gave me an even deeper appreciation of this legend. Gift link: wapo.st/47THXEt
wapo.st
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Because I have no chill, believe deeply in AP’s mission, and think covering the Middle East is more important than ever… some personal news! www.ap.org/the-definiti...
ap.org
Erin Cunningham named Jerusalem news director | The Associated Press
In a memo to staff on Wednesday, Middle East News Director Victoria Eastwood announced that Erin Cunningham has been named AP’s Jerusalem news director:
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
For those looking for metaphors about the future of AI and government's ability to regulate it, well, here it is...
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Jeff Stein @jeffstein.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
SCOOP: The Pentagon asked the White House today for more than *$200 billion* for Iran war supplemental, sources say Some in WH think Congress won't support b/c it's so big Will tee up giant battle in Congress My last story for WaPo: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war
That figure would far surpass the costs of the U.S. airstrike campaign to date and aims to boost production of critical weapons depleted in the conflict, people familiar with the matter said.
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Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
You can't see listeria. I ran a farm for 15 years, and no matter how well you know me or how many times you've been to my farm you have NO IDEA about my farm practices. Knowing your farmer does not protect you against food-borne diseases. Don't drink raw milk.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
This is a first: I flew to an airport to eat burgers from a vending machine. I lived to tell the tale. Gift link: wapo.st/47CF1fh
wapo.st
Column | At a White Castle airport kiosk, we glimpsed a bleak fast-food future
White Castle and Cheesecake Factory vending machines at Boston Logan International Airport offer a limited selection of disappointing food – and human erasure.
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Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Whether or not you plan to try the new McDonald's Big Arch, you gotta read the review by @timcarman.bsky.social. Nobody's better at not-so-fine dining. Gift link. wapo.st/4rRd23J
wapo.st
Review | McDonald’s new Big Arch burger is an ode to American excess
The newcomer goes big with two quarter-pound patties, three slices of cheese and more than 1,000 calories.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
The review nobody asked for, but everyone is writing. I’d love to hear your thoughts too, if you’ve tried the Big Arch. Gift link: wapo.st/4rRd23J
wapo.st
Review | McDonald’s new Big Arch burger is an ode to American excess
The newcomer goes big with two quarter-pound patties, three slices of cheese and more than 1,000 calories.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
As the laid off Middle East News Editor, I concur. Management eliminated the positions of every single staff correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
The Post identified seven restaurants that received "notice of suspect documents" letters from DHS. Immigration attorneys tell me that many more letters are likely on the way. The DHS enforcement could lead to hundreds of workers leaving the local industry. Gift link: wapo.st/4aK22z1
wapo.st
D.C. restaurants brace for a wave of immigration-related workforce losses
More than 100 workers have been terminated or left their jobs since Feb. 12, and many more could follow, immigration lawyers say.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Despite an objection from Harrison Suarez, one of the two co-founders of Compass Coffee, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia today approved the sale of many of Compass’s assets to Caffe Nero.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Compass Coffee is expected to have a new owner following Thursday’s bankruptcy auction. Gift link: wapo.st/3OBaF69
wapo.st
U.K.-based Caffè Nero wins auction to buy Compass Coffee
The multinational coffee company will continue to operate 17 D.C.-area cafes under the Compass brand.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Papa Johns has introduced a new pan pizza. Emily Heil and I did a taste test to see how it compares to the pan offerings at two other chains, including the ur-pie at Pizza Hut. Gift link: wapo.st/4aAJBLT
wapo.st
Papa Johns is taking on Pizza Hut (and Domino’s) pan pizza. We tried all 3.
Papa Johns just debuted a pan crust pizza, but how does it stack up against Pizza Hut and Domino’s?
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
When it opened more than a decade ago, Compass Coffee was one of DC’s feel-good business stories. Now the company’s in bankruptcy. I plotted out how it went from one to the other. Gift link: wapo.st/3MihGbs
wapo.st
Compass Coffee had Starbucks-size ambitions. Here’s how it unraveled.
The homegrown D.C. coffee chain’s push to expand its way to profitability ended in a January bankruptcy filing.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
As @postguild.bsky.social assesses the damage from last week’s layoffs, it turns out between 44% and 47.5% of the newsroom has been axed. It “may have been the biggest one-day wipeout of journalists in a generation.” washingtonian.com/2026/02/09/a...
washingtonian.com
Actually, the Washington Post Layoffs Were a Bigger Bloodbath Than You Thought - Washingtonian
The layoffs announced last week at the Washington Post were disfiguring to the esteemed news organization, with whole sections and departments—sports, books, staff photography—wiped away, and devastat...
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
My sweet dog doesn’t believe in reading, just snuggles.
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Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Our food environment is making us fat and sick. But RFK Jr.'s ideas about fixing it are mostly either bad (more beef tallow!) or ineffective (eliminate food dyes!). But it doesn't matter. Ozempic can do what regulations can't: change our food supply. (gift link) wapo.st/4qHLzAR
wapo.st
Column | GLP-1 drugs might do what food policy can’t — change the way we eat
The desire for smaller portions and fewer junk foods is affecting what the food industry is selling us.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Oh look. This package near the top of The Washington Post homepage is a collaboration between International and Sports (and ties directly to the U.S. political moment), two desks we hear are about to be obliterated by what could be some of the worst layoffs in the history of the paper.
A screenshot of The Washington Post homepage featuring two articles. The first is headlined: ICE at Olympics angers Milan mayor, who says agency’s image is ‘terrible.’ The second is titled: Clamor is growing in Europe to boycott North American World Cup.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 25/01/2026
Homeland Security’s sweeping deportation campaign marks a sharp break from the agency’s post-9/11 mission. “DHS has now become an immigration department, and that’s not what it was founded for,” said a former senior DHS official.
wapo.st
Shootings in Minneapolis underscore how Kristi Noem has transformed DHS
The agency was founded after Sept. 11 to prevent foreign terrorist attacks. Now it is almost exclusively focused on apprehending undocumented immigrants.
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Herb Scribner @herbscribner.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Trump threatens Insurrection Act >>
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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 10/01/2026
Yesterday I documented how DHS lies all the time and suggested you not trust their claims, in case you did.
ms.now
Opinion | Kristi Noem and DHS do not deserve the benefit of the doubt
Philip Bump: The Department of Homeland Security and its leader have an honesty problem — and the numbers prove it.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
This news had been expected for a few weeks now. The future of Compass is quite uncertain after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Gift link: wapo.st/3YnvZxQ
wapo.st
Compass Coffee files for bankruptcy amid lawsuits, lagging downtown sales
The Washington-based chain plans to close 11 of its more than 20 cafes around the region amid lagging sales and lawsuits.
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Helder Gil @hgil.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
“RNC Chairman Joe Gruters described being shocked by Trump’s eating habits when they traveled together during the campaign. While flying to a campaign event, according to Gruters, Trump consumed french fries, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger, a Big Mac and a Filet-O-Fish.”
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Helder Gil @hgil.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Good read on the existential challenges facing local restaurants. The danger with enacting a pileup of rules on our local businesses is that while each requirement may be well-intentioned, the cumulative effect suffocates the business.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
And next year is not looking so good either. wapo.st/4924PTn
wapo.st
‘One thing after another’: 2025 was a brutal year for D.C. restaurants
A battered Washington restaurant industry is bracing for continued challenges in 2026.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
For the holidays, I gave myself the gift of boredom. And Tony Bourdain’s stew. Gift link: wapo.st/3L7Srrx
wapo.st
Column | Anthony Bourdain’s boeuf bourguignon offers the gift of time and patience
The slow-simmered stew gave me a chance to reflect on the things that hide under a mountain of distractions.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Labor advocates are pushing for a $25 minimum wage in DC, as an antidote to the affordability crisis. It comes after D.C. Council twice overturned the will of voters over tipped minimum wage. The restaurant industry is expected to present fierce opposition to the new initiative. wapo.st/4aBXwmk
wapo.st
A $25 minimum wage for D.C.? It might be on November’s ballot.
D.C. lawmakers have overturned the will of voters twice over ending the tipped minimum wage. Labor advocates are now aiming higher.
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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Some news today on the D.C. streateries front. wapo.st/44xvDrO
wapo.st
D.C. Council votes to change streatery rules after restaurant pushback
Some restaurateurs have said they can’t afford to comply with the city’s new program.
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Harry Wallop @harrywallop.co.uk · 02/12/2025
Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
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Jonathan L. Fischer @jonfischer.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
A remarkable story about a Hiroshima survivor www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
After surviving Hiroshima, she has a message for Trump
As the president weighs resuming testing of nuclear weapons for the first time in decades, Koko Kondo wants to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.
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Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Make it stop! Endless papers pitting low-carb, low-fat, keto, Mediterranean, whatever diets against each other when ALL the differences are just a few pounds. It doesn't matter. No diet ever tested works for long-term, substantial weight loss. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Effects of carbohydrate-restricted diets and macronutrient replacements on cardiovascular health and body composition in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized trials
Carbohydrate-restricted diets (CRDs) are widely promoted for improving cardiovascular and body composition outcomes, yet evidence remains mixed across…
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