For those who may have forgotten, Chicago landmark restaurant The Weiners Circle made headlines last month when they promised free hot dogs to city residents if Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys. Sure enough, that is precisely what the Bears quarterback did. Fans rejoiced in travelling to get their free franks, and it seems to have been great publicity for Weiners Circle. Now the restaurant has decided to up the ante. This time, they promised free hot dogs again if head coach Ben Johnson takes his shirt off after any Bears victory the rest of the season.
To clarify, it’s still a winning ticket when Ben Johnson waits to take his shirt off in the locker room during one of his game ball speeches https://t.co/ikALxndWGN
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) October 23, 2025
That is certainly more ambitious than the Williams challenge. Johnson has a reputation for being deadly serious during games, refusing to crack a smile or show any emotion on the sideline. Expecting him to take his shirt off is like expecting sharks to tap dance on the moon. Still, the Chicago media couldn’t help asking him about it during his press conference this week. Johnson joked about it, asking who would want to see such a disturbing sight. However, he didn’t outright say no, which makes the upcoming game in Baltimore a fascinating one to monitor.
We have a very direct response from Bears HC Ben Johnson on the @TheWienerCircle vow to give out free hot dogs if he were to take his shirt off to celebrate a win.
"It's a little disturbing. Why would we want to see that?"
Crickets in the room.
Are you interested in feeding…
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) October 24, 2025
Ben Johnson continues to show his unpredictable side.
For all the control he has over his emotions, one should never take that for who the man is. Ben Johnson has proven many times he has a sense of humor and also a great sense of timing. He knows better than anybody how much fun a story like this can be for Bears fans. He also knows it will be great fodder for his players, who would delight at the chance to see their head coach cut loose a little. Much depends on how the game unfolds. If the Bears win, he might feel compelled to fulfill his part, especially knowing it will have built a five-game winning streak.
Then again, Johnson may prefer to wait. Doing something like that in a road game would be construed as disrespectful. It might be better to do it at Soldier Field. Or better yet, save it for if and when the Bears make the playoffs. What a way to celebrate that would be. Either way, the fact that Johnson is even open to the idea makes this a fun story to follow.
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