Applications for Bears' 2023 Small Business All-Pros Gameday Eats Edition are Now Open
The Chicago Bears are excited to announce that the applications for the 2023 Small Business All-Pros Gameday Eats edition, presented by Visa, are now open. This initiative aims to support local restaurants, food trucks and other food service businesses within the Chicago area. Four total establishments will be selected to receive four separate four-week Bears marketing partnerships with the team. These partnerships give local small businesses access to millions of Bears fans through prominent features in the stadium on gamedays, across the team's official social media channels, on ChicagoBears.com and more. The winners of the Small Business All-Pros Gameday Eats edition will be announced the first week of September.
To apply for this program, interested restaurants or food service businesses can submit their applications online at ChicagoBears.com/SmallBusinessAllPros. The application period is open from June 28 until Sunday, July 23, and should take less than 15 minutes to complete. The idea is to provide additional resources for small businesses without the burden of a lengthy application process that can be challenging for owners.
This is the fourth year for the Chicago Bears Small Business All-Pros initiative. Selected businesses will have the opportunity to significantly boost their brand visibility, reaching not only the local community but also a wider audience. Since its inception, the initiative has promoted and recognized a total of 18 small businesses, including 14 Parish (Caribbean style restaurant and Rhum Bar), Tacotlán (Mexican restaurant), Riley's Ribz (BBQ sauces & seasonings brand), and Bitoy's Sweet Treats (a dessert and snack bar) from the 2022 season.
Notably, several of these businesses have become long-term vendors. Peppo's Subs (2021) has provided lunch for the Bears' Salute to Service community event; Cleo's Southern Cuisine (2021) has been included in the Bears' gameday United Club concession service at Soldier Field; Tacotlán and Bitoy's Sweet Treats (2022) has provided catering to Bears' professional development events. These examples illustrate the tangible benefits and long-term connections that can grow from being part of the Small Business All-Pros Gameday Eats initiative.
"The Small Business All-Pros Gameday Eats helped increase our span and reach not just in Chicago but across the nation. The access to local influencers, promotion at Soldier Field, and the opportunity to gain airtime on a local news channel were instrumental to help with marketing our brand of products," stated Layla Bitoy-Dillon, owner of Bitoy's Sweet Treats and one of last year's winners. "Most importantly, we gained a true partnership from the Chicago Bears and tons of support along the way."