Mario Batali gets his own foursquare badge

Celebrity chef Mario Batali just joined foursquare a few weeks ago, but he’s already managed quite a coup — he’s got his own foursquare badge. Users who follow him and check in at his restaurants can unlock the Mario Batali badge. He’s also offering foursquare specials at each of his restaurants.

Since making his first checkin on February 8, Batali has been checking in regularly and earning badges. He even holds two mayorships in the Virgin Islands. He’s left tips at a number of his favorite places in New York, including this one at Dos Toros Taqueria:

real taqueria with just 15 seats, cooks chopping meat and cilantro as you walk in, 2 tacos de carnitas for 7 dollars and a stinging cold can of tecate for 2 bucks and a quarter and a nickel

Batali is a classically trained chef with several restaurants in New York City, including Babbo, Del Posto and OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria. He also has restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He’s a partner in Eataly NYC, an Italian food and wine marketplace. A former Food Network star, he appeared on Iron Chefs America and his own cooking show, Molto Mario. He now co-hosts Spain On the Road Again with Gwyneth Paltrow on PBS.