CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As the Bears play the Commanders on Thursday Night Football, another Chicago institution will have a moment in the spotlight.
The feature, which will be a short on Amazon Prime Video, will follow ex-NFL running back Marshawn Lynch as he works a shift at one of the North Side’s iconic hot dog stands: the Wiener’s Circle.
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 in the waning seconds and lost the Super Bowl in February 2015.
Manager Poochie Rollins, who trained Lynch during his Wiener’s Circle shift, explained that Lynch 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. “We still gotta make sure the customer’s food is prepared. But yeah, he was able to hang a little bit.”
The feature on the Wiener's Circle had initially been scheduled to run at halftime on the broadcast, though it has been changed to postgame now, the hot dog stand said later on Twitter.
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 feels it gives her 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.
Rollins had fun with Lynch during the filming of the feature, 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 often is covered as a place where the employees tease or are rude, 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.”
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