For those who haven’t been dipped yet, FX’s The Bear is a critically acclaimed TV series originally centered around Chicago’s Italian beef sandwich. Since its premiere in 2022, the show has been hotter than a pile of giardiniera. With six Emmy wins already, there’s no shortage of excitement ahead of the third season.
As the show’s popularity has fans piling on like slices of beef, stands across the Chicagoland area are on notice—be ready for another round of beef frenzy. Time Out spoke with some of Chicago’s major beef brands about their thoughts on what’s now known as “The Bear Effect.”
RECOMMENDED: Discover the Chicago restaurants featured in season two of 'The Bear'
What The Bear dips perfectly:
Joe Buonavolanto, President and CEO of Buona Beef, couldn’t contain his excitement: “I’ve watched every episode and I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it!”
Buonavolanto also noted some of the parallels he’s seen: “When we started in Berwyn, it was five brothers behind the counter, and The Bear really communicates the brotherhood and team effort it takes to handle a beef stand.”
“It’s an interesting show, you know, but it is a bit more Hollywood than real [life],” said Chris Pacelli Jr., owner of Al’s #1 Italian Beef.
What The Bear leaves dry:
Through his thick Chicago accent, Pacelli Jr. adamantly insists, “Italian beef is street food. They get a little uppity with the language (“Yes, chef!”); no one talks like that.” He adds, “In the show, they bake their own bread—I never saw anyone do that. We get fresh bread delivered in the morning and again in the afternoon.”
Buonavolanto had a similar observation: “In The Bear, they open at 4 o’clock, and they weren’t using the right kind of beef. I saw a chuck roast or something like that—that’s what it appeared to be. True original Italian beef is made from top sirloin.”
It's not cow-culus, but business is moo-ving:
The popularity of The Bear has been a boom for the beef business. “The Bear Effect” has driven sales up across the board. Since the show’s debut, Al’s has seen sales soar by 142.5%. Nationwide, sales have tripled, with Texas being the biggest consumer, and overall growth has reached 89.5%.
Buonavolanto can’t deny the influence either: “We saw a 30-40% spike in Goldbelly orders, as well as Aldi and Costco adding Italian beef to their out-of-market stores.”
Interest in the Buona brand itself is up as well. “We’re hosting 60 international potential franchisees this week. The introduction of the television show has been great for business,” Buonavolanto explained.
Serving suggestions for season three:
“I don’t know for sure, but my guess is they’re moving a little bit away from Italian beef; I really wish they wouldn’t,” Buonavolanto expressed. The season three teaser revealed a fine dining menu, so only time will tell.
Pacelli knows exactly what he doesn’t want to see: “Bring it back down to Earth, none of that ‘yes, chef’ stuff.”
Season three of The Bear releases June 26 on Hulu. Are you excited as we are? “Yes, chef!”