LAKE FOREST, Illinois — For a second time this season, the actions of a Chicago Bears member have resulted in free hot dogs.
Weeks after The Wieners Circle delivered on its promise of free hotdogs for every patron who stopped by after quarterback Caleb Williams‘ four-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys in September, the Chicago-based hot dog stand upped the ante with an ask of head coach Ben Johnson.
The Wieners Circle stand said last month it would once again give away free hot dogs if Johnson took off his shirt in celebration after any win this season. When initially asked whether he would oblige, Johnson laughed it off and seemed hesitant to fulfill the request.
But he never said no.
After the Bears beat the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 on Black Friday, Johnson delivered a passionate postgame speech in the visitors’ locker room surrounded by his players.
“I know you guys are hungry for more, right?” Johnson yelled. “Let me tell you something. The city of Chicago is hungry, too!”
The 39-year-old coach then proceeded to tear off his shirt as Bears players, coaches and support staff went wild. So did social media.
“Is this real life, or is [this] just fantasy?!” The Wieners Circle wrote in response to a video of Johnson celebrating with his players. “Free hot dogs again Tuesday mother——-!”
The Wieners Circle will hand out free hot dogs on Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m. CT at its location at 2622 N Clark Street.
Johnson said he was unaware of the reaction to his postgame celebration and called it a “spur-of-the-moment deal.”
“My wife was just laughing,” Johnson said. “I guess my two-year-old was watching the TV screen at home, and she was pointing at the screen, ‘no shirt, no shirt.’ My wife had no idea what was going on. That’s really about how that went. I think anytime you get a chance to feed a city, you want to do it, so man of the people.”
The Bears have won nine of their past 10 games and are currently the NFC’s No. 1 seed in Johnson’s first season.
“I hate to draw attention away from our players, but the intent was to bring up the city of Chicago and hopefully it gave them a little excitement, because they’re a big part of this journey as we’re going through the season, also,” Johnson said. “I wanted to bring attention to them.”
