CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As the Chicago Bears regroup following its Thursday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders, another Chicago institution will have a moment in the spotlight: The Wiener's Circle.
The feature — which was originally set to run during halftime but has been rescheduled for the postgame coverage on Amazon Prime — will follow ex-NFL running back Marshawn Lynch as he works a shift at the iconic hot dog stand.
Of course, the hot dog stand gave Lynch a special welcome on its sign along Clark Street.
“We don’t pass on the one yard line,” read one side — a reference to when Lynch’s Seattle Seahawks infamously threw a goal line interception and lost the 2015 Super Bowl.
Manager Poochie Rollins, who trained Lynch during his Wiener’s Circle shift, said the ex-footballer handled himself pretty well.
“It’s not easy, everybody thinks because, you know, we work at the Wiener's Circle, we talk a little smack, but at the end of the day it’s still a job to do,” Rollins said. “But yeah, he was able to hang a little bit.”
The Wiener’s Circle has been featured on national television before, including an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Monday Night Football. Rollins said it gives her some responsibility to represent Chicago.
“I appreciate it, and I do feel like it’s an obligation for the city of Chicago to let them know, you know, that our city is popping,” Rollins said.
Lynch was very "real" during the filming of the feature, Rollins said, though she mentioned that some of the footage probably will fall under the “outtakes” category.
“Yeah, he jumped on my back. I pinched his nipples,” Rollins laughed. “Cause they was kinda big for him being a man, you know what I mean, so I was like, ‘Hey, you need to get back in the gym, bro.’ Yeah, he was really cool.”
Although the Wiener’s Circle gets a lot of attention for how its employees may tease its customers, Rollins said the attitude is more about trying to put customers at ease.
“You never know what someone’s going through in life,” Rollins said. “Our thing is, when you come in we want you to be loose. You had a hard day at work, or somebody’s maybe getting on your [expletive] nerves, you know what I mean, so when you come in we want to serve you good food, talk a little smack to you, make you laugh, go home and come back.”
Kickoff for Chicago’s game against Washington is at 7:20 p.m. Be sure to tune into WBBM’s pregame coverage starting at 4:20 p.m.
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