Bill and Hillary Clinton visit family, friends in Wyoming County

May 27—As a waitress for the past eight years at Twigs Cafe in Tunkhannock, Jamie McAndrew exhibits the required decorum of a table server.

But she was a bit unsure exactly how to act when former President Bill Clinton and former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed up for dinner Friday night.

The Clintons came to Twigs at 6 p.m. with Hillary's brother, Hugh Rodham, and a few other people, to celebrate Hugh's 73rd birthday, McAndrew said.A contingent of Secret Service agents also were there, inside and outside, she said.

But the former first couple's easy-going demeanor quickly put McAndrew, a 37-year-old resident of North Abington Township, at ease.

"I'm not good at being all prim and proper. I didn't know how to act at first, but then they were all joking. They were actually pretty cool and I was just able to be myself," McAndrew said. "They were relaxed. They were very chill."

The Clintons and Rodham also posed for photos with Twigs' staff.

The former president had a half-pound Hot House Burger, the plant-based version, that can come topped with gouda cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo. He had the jalapenos on the side and French fries. He also had a Buddha Bowl mix of quinoa and vegetables.

The former first lady ordered the almond haddock entree.

The Clintons and their group also brought a birthday cake. A host and waitresses sang a chorus of "Happy Birthday" to Rodham.

The Clinton party stayed at Twigs until 9:15 p.m.

Rodham has a cottage at Lake Winola.

Also on Friday night, Virginia Doherty McGregor of Scranton, an influential fundraiser in the Democratic party, got a phone call from Hillary Clinton saying she and her husband were at Lake Winola. McGregor, who has a lake house at Lake Carey near Tunkhannock, invited the Clintons for a visit to that lake house on Saturday morning.

"They were in town for Hugh's birthday. They really love Lake Winola," McGregor said. "We're good friends of theirs. She reached out and said, 'Hey, we're in town.' I said, 'Why don't you come for coffee tomorrow.' "

While there, the Clintons also posed for photos with the McGregor family.

After that visit Saturday morning, the Clintons next visited the T&C Grille in Tunkhannock around 11 a.m. However, T&C was packed and the Secret Service apparently immediately decided against staying, T&C owner Connie Wiser said.

Wiser never had a chance to fit them in, she said, adding, "It all happened so fast."

Some patrons were able to get some photos with the Clintons before they departed, Wiser said.

McGregor said the Clintons next were en route to Philadelphia.

"They had a great visit. What a nice time to come," McGregor said.

McAndrew said, "They were just down-to-Earth people. They put their pants on the same way that I do. They just make more money — a lot more money."

emailto:Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter.