With the season starting soon, the Chicago Bears roster looks shinier than it has in years — and so does the fan experience.
“We’re talking a complete transformation,” said Lee Twarling, senior vice president of guest experience and stadium operation.
On Wednesday, Chicago-based Levy Restaurant Group, the Bears’ new hospitality partner, unveiled a new concessions menu at a preview event at Soldier Field, showcasing items like the bear paw pretzel, carne asada waffle fries, an over-the-top doughnut and updated odes to regional favorites like the Italian beef sandwich.
Michael Arcomone, executive chef for Levy Restaurant Group, said the menu is a reimagined take on classic stadium food.
“Everything is new because (Levy) is brand new here,” Arcomone said. “Of course, an Italian beef and sausage isn’t a new thing, but the way we’ll present it and do it might be new to the guests at (Soldier Field).”
The Italian beef — one of Chicago’s signature foods — saw a newfound resurgence thanks to the hit Chicago-based show, “The Bear.” Arcomone said it was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
“(Our marketing team’s influence) was ‘we have got to figure out how to loop in ‘The Bear’ because it’s the Bears plus ‘The Bear,’ the show!” Arcomone said. “We went through a couple of different phases of the sandwich and landed on a sandwich (very similar to what’s made on the show).”
One of the most anticipated rollouts is what Ryan Craig, executive chef for Soldier Field, calls the menu’s “passion project” — the Odunze Dog.
The fully loaded hot dog is named after Bears rookie Rome Odunze, and Levy chefs called it the wide receiver’s “culinary introduction to the Windy City.”
“It combines everything Rome loves — he likes everything a bit spicy, very flavorful, lots of textures,” Craig said.
The jalapeño cheddar dog with Italian beef, giardiniera, spicy Chicago secret sauce and cheese crisp crumbles also tracks with the rookie wide receiver’s snack habits, as shown in a recent episode of “Hard Knocks.”
The Odunze Dog will be offered at a concession stand in section 134.
Other new items ushered in by Levy include the tavern burger — a new concept from Boka Restaurant Group, crispy chicken strips from GG’s Chicken Shop, a pork chop sandwich and more.
There are some meatless options across the stadium too, including the bear claw pretzel with three choices of dipping sauce, cheese pizza, nachos, waffle fries and popcorn. Levy representatives said veggie dogs and both plant-based and veggie burgers will also be available.
Levy chefs were especially excited about the bear-paw-shaped treats on display Wednesday, including a salty pretzel shaped like a bear paw that’s about as big, or bigger, than a baseball mitt. Craig said the idea behind the pretzel is to tear and share while enjoying the game.
“Caleb (Williams) made that claw pose so famous, the second he started doing that we were like, ‘All right, what claw things can we come up with?’” Craig added, referring to the Bears rookie quarterback making a cheeky claw gesture with his hand at several sporting events over the summer. “We just had so much fun with it.”
Other paws include the ice-cream-topped Bear Paw doughnut and bear-paw-shaped orange and blue cookies in collaboration between Levy and Chicago-based pastry shop Sugar Bliss, available at the United Club Bistro and Miller Lite Midway.
According to Twarling, new this year are 60 automated grab-and-go self-checkout stations that will scan and weigh items as customers place their choices down, as well as speed lanes, which he says will serve fans three times faster than regular checkouts.
Representatives from Levy, which is taking the reins from Aramark, the Bears’ food and beverage vendor for 11 years, said they hope fans will enjoy the speedier concession service.
Twarling also noted new signs, which are an “easy, yet game-changing addition” to the concourse, he said.
“When you look down the concourse, the signs will just tell exactly what is where,” he said. The new signage is split up by categories like sausage and beef, burgers, pizza, dogs and snacks, street tacos and more.
Levy, which also runs food and beverage at Wrigley Field and the United Center, said price points for the concession items are still being finalized.
“It’s important to hit on signature items that are great and tell a story, but you have to do the basics as well, right?” Craig said. “As football would call it the blocking and tackling. We have to have a great pretzel, a great hotdog, a great Italian beef, chicken tenders — all of that stuff.”
The Bears finalized their 53-player roster Aug. 27 and kick off the regular season with their home opener at noon on Sept. 8.
