No $16 muffins served, U.S. audit finds

Published 12:09 am Saturday, October 29, 2011

Remember the $16 muffin, a sign of government spending out of control? It turns out that all the criticism was half-baked.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General is apologizing for erroneously concluding that a hotel charged the government $16 apiece for breakfast muffins. The IG’s assertion prompted widespread criticism of government spending. A swift rebuttal came from Hilton Worldwide, which manages and franchises hotels including the Capital Hilton, the location for a Justice Department conference that served the muffins.

On Friday, the IG’s office said that it had received additional information concerning food and beverage costs and that the department did not pay $16 per muffin. The additional information showed that the muffins were actually part of a modified continental breakfast priced at $16.80.

“We regret the error in our original report,” the IG said.

Associated Press