Meet the man who sold Donald Trump a burger using Bitcoin
Pacchia opened PubKey two years ago, envisioning the West Village dive located just a few blocks from Washington Square Park as a civic tavern of sorts
When Thomas Pacchia first proposed to Donald Trump's team to visit PubKey as a campaign stop, their reaction was about what he expected: "What's a Bitcoin bar?" On Wednesday, the entire world - or, at least, the segment terminally addicted to Twitter - had a chance to find out. That's when Trump stopped by PubKey en route to a rally in Long Island, buying the bar a round of burgers in what has been described as the first transaction completed by a current or former president using Bitcoin.
Pacchia opened PubKey two years ago, envisioning the West Village dive located just a few blocks from Washington Square Park as a civic tavern of sorts. He sees his watering hole as a place where people can stop by to debate monetary policy and political ethics over beers, just as the founding fathers did 250 years ago (it also doesn't hurt that PubKey's menu was designed by an Eleven Madison Park-trained chef).
So having a one-time future president pop in didn't surprise him - PubKey has hosted politicians like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the past, and Pacchia has invited every candidate, including Kamala Harris.
The practical details of a presidential visit, however, were more jarring. Pacchia learned about the visit just a week before it happened, working with the Secret Service four hours a day to concoct a game plan, including blacked-out skylights and snipers positioned nearby. "It was insane," Pacchia told Fortune on Thursday, as bar staff worked to re-open under some semblance of normalcy. "It was a whirlwind."
