Is The Bear based on a true story? Does Jeremy Allen White really know how to cook? Is the restaurant in the show a real one?
These are just some of the common questions that people wonder about while watching the series. If this is your first time watching the show, you'll be sure to have these same questions running across your mind too!
Here are the answers to the internet's most pressing questions about The Bear.
Is The Bear Based on a True Story?
Let's start with this: whether The Bear is based on a true story. The answer here is that the show is not based on factual characters and events.
But as co-creator Christopher Storer shared, some bits of it have been heavily inspired by his life.
One of the things that inspired the show is the fact that Storer grew up in suburban Chicago. He has also been friends with Chris Zucchero since Kindergarten.
Zucchero's late father is the man behind Chicago's beloved Mr. Beef restaurant, which inspired Storer for the sandwich shop in The Bear Season 1.
In an interview with Esquire, Storer shared that Zucchero "was my first friend" that he ever met.
"I wrote a lot of the show hanging out with Chris in what they call the elegant dining room of Mr. Beef, which is actually just an added-on patio."
Storer was able to draw inspiration from his experience hanging out at Mr. Beef. Not to mention, he also got inspired from conversations he has with real-life chefs.
But aside from the restaurant, Storer shared his fascination for the business-side of operating a restaurant.
"Even when they're busy, I can't help but think, 'This seems impossible. This just seems like at any minute this is going to collapse. And you're a genius, you're the best at this, and this still seems rickety and crazy."
From these memories, Storer was able to come up with The Bear.
Is the Sandwich Shop From The Bear a Real Restaurant?
The Beef, the sandwich shop from the show, is not a real restaurant. But it was inspired by Mr. Beef, a famous Chicago eatery owned by Storer's friend, Chris Zucchero, who even made a cameo in the first season.
Mr. Beef has been selling its famous Italian beef subs since 1963. The restaurant was started by Chris' father, the late Joseph Zucchero, as a stand.
The Bear's executive producer and showrunner, Joanna Calo, shared with Forbes that Storer "spent a lot of time in that beef place."
This is where the look and feel of the fictional restaurant were modeled from.
Calo also shared that there were some days they shot their scenes in Mr. Beef on Orleans and "people would show up and bang on the windows trying to get their beef, and we ruined it for them because we were shooting, and it wasn't operational that day."
Unfortunately, in the second season of The Bear, Carmy (played by Jeremy Allen White) decided to shut down the restaurant to open a new one.
Meanwhile, fans can still visit the real restaurant, Mr. Beef, at 666 N. Orleans St., Chicago.
Does Jeremy Allen White Know How to Cook in Real Life?
Jeremy Allen White plays Carmy, a talented chef, throughout the series. And because he looks like a natural in the kitchen, many can't help but wonder if the actor truly knows how to cook in real life.
Before starting to film The Bear, White actually attended a two-week intensive program at the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena.
He then joined chef Dave Beran's culinary team at Pasjoli in Santa Monica, where he was able to prepare the food for real-life diners of the one Michelin-starred French bistro.
In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, White shared that his short experience gave him new respect for the kitchen staff.
"I had no idea just how much went into it. It's incredible. I spent a lot of time with chefs, cooks, and the sacrifice of time, the commitment, the loss of personal life. It's astounding and it's commendable."
So does he plan to switch careers anytime soon? White said that while his knife skills have gotten "really good," he had no intentions of joining the culinary field anytime soon.
Why Is the Show Called The Bear?
If the restaurant in the show is called The Beef, why is the show called The Bear?
By the end of the first season, chef Carmy announced that he would be shutting down The Beef and opening a new upscale restaurant called The Bear.
Perhaps it was this foreshadowing of the events of the series that led the show creators to name it as such.
Some theories also thought that the name of the show was a reference to the local football team, the Chicago Bears.
But this is actually the nickname of Carmy in the show. His last name is Berzatto, and his sister, Sugar, playfully calls him Bear.
So that's the story behind the name of the series.
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