President Obama got a warm — very warm — reception when he stopped for lunch Thursday at Duff's Famous Chicken Wings in Cheektowaga.

Much of that came courtesy of Chaffee resident Luann Haley, who unabashedly complimented the commander in chief. "You're a hottie with a smokin' little body," she told him.

Obama hugged her and reminded her that his wife, Michelle, would be catching the TV footage later. Haley responded: "Michelle, eat your heart out, honey!"

The flirtatious comment was picked up by news organizations around the world within hours,

much to Haley's bewilderment and chagrin. "It was me being funny," she said. "I meant no harm

by it."

Brian Meyer's audio report on President Obama's visit to Duff's:

Click here to download the audio report and take it with you

And Obama seemed to take no offense. Afterward, he greeted all the other patrons with hugs

and handshakes.

In the process, they learned a few things about the president: He knows how to work a

crowd, he's comfortable with his sex appeal, and he knows a thing or two about the sport of

ultimate fighting.

Duff's was a packed house by the time Obama arrived. Many customers may have connected the

dots when they spotted heavy security on the streets near the Dick Road restaurant shortly

before noon.

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BuffaloNews.com Live: Minute-by-minute review of Obama's visit

Photo galleries: Arrival at airport Lunch at Duff's Industrial Support stop Bystanders awaiting motorcade

Video: Waiting for Obama Air Force One lands Meeting the president

Obama put in an order for 10 medium wings — five extra crispy — with a small order of fries and onion rings. His bill came to $14.90.

Waitress Mary DiGiacomo said she was still a bit shocked about an hour after she had

fetched the president's lunch. "I was taking out food, and a Secret Service agent came and

grabbed me, and told me I had to take a very important order," she said.

DiGiacomo said she was impressed by how friendly Obama was to patrons, visiting each table. "He's a little taller than I thought he was," she said.

Duff's server discusses taking president's order:

Haley, 45, was one of more than a dozen employees from a nearby office who walked to Duff's for the chance to meet the president. Even though she is a registered Republican, she said she was thrilled to meet Obama and asked to hug him.

"Oh my gosh, you're skinny," she told him.

Then others asked her opinion of the president, prompting her now-famous line.

Her colleague Cathy Petri described Obama as "soft and cuddly" and younger than he appears

on TV. She was so flustered by his appearance that she left her purse at the restaurant and

returned later to get it.

A.J. Verel and his friend Jessica Walters were the last people to place a lunch order at

the bar before the president walked in. Verel, a champion kick-boxer, said he talked at length

with the president about martial arts, kick-boxing and the sport of ultimate fighting, which

is illegal in New York State.

Obama impressed Verel by chatting with him about a couple of ultimate fighters who had

competed last weekend.

"It's shock and awe," said Verel, 40, of Buffalo, who asked to be considered for the

president's fitness advisory council. "My phone was in the car — that's how unprepared I

was."

Three neighborhood residents who had come from the noon Mass at St. Barnabas Catholic

Church across the street were lucky enough to snag the last table at Duff's before Obama's

arrival.

"We had a seat saved for him — where you're sitting," Joanne Blenk, 78, told a

reporter.

The three settled for handshakes as Obama made his way around the restaurant.

Marie Fronczak, 74, said Obama asked for her opinion on the wings early on, so she told him

she liked the mild ones. When he ran into her again later, his face lit with recognition.

"Oh, this is the lady who advised me on the wings," he said.

The folks at Duff's had an idea as early as Sunday that Obama might visit. They were told

to "keep it quiet." But Obama's advance people called the Duff's location on Sheridan Drive

and Millersport Highway in Amherst, so even insiders were surprised when he showed up at the

Dick Road restaurant, which opened in September.

Kirk Feather, owner of the Dick Road restaurant, even had some fun earlier in the day with

his brother, who owns the Amherst establishment. "I called him up, pretending I was the

president coming into his place," he said.