Former President Joe Biden dines at Parc as Democrats boycott Stephen Starr restaurants in

June 16, 2025

Prominent Democratic lawmakers are boycotting Stephen Starr’s restaurants in Washington, but former President Joe Biden was spotted making a brief trip to Starr’s Parc bistro in Philadelphia on Monday morning.

Biden was observed entering the Rittenhouse Square restaurant around 9:15 a.m. with his full security detail trailing behind, according to blogger HughE Dillon and other social media posts. At the same time, the Amazon Prime series “Reacher” was filming a scene outside.


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Parc staffers declined to confirm Biden’s presence, but Dillon wrote on Instagram that he left the restaurant around 10:15 a.m. He took photos and chatted with passersby on his way out. 

Biden dined at Parc just weeks after congressional Democrats, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, pledged to boycott six Starr restaurants in Washington as a show of solidarity with restaurant workers who are attempting to unionize. 

“With these restaurants that are frequented so much by members of Congress, our boycott of fundraisers and visiting could have a real impact – could really help these workers,” Texas Sen. Greg Casar told Axios earlier this month. 

The Parc visit also is among Biden’s first appearances since he announced in late May that he has an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Amazon Prime’s “Reacher” series also held several shoots in the city over the weekend, including in the Logan Square area. Dillon, who runs the Philly Chit Chat blog, was watching the film shoot as Biden’s entourage rolled up. 

“I was wondering why the cast and crew broke into applause as a guy with white hair walked into the restaurant,” Dillon wrote on Instagram