Announces Partnership with Bears To Sell Classic Chicago Sandwiches
Buona is pleased to announce that Chicago’s original Italian beef and other classics are now available during Chicago Bears games. As part of a three-year agreement with the Bears organization, Buona is the exclusive purveyor of Italian Beef, Italian Sausage, Beef & Sausage “Combos” and Meatball sandwiches during all of the Bears regular season games at Soldier Field. The deal expands Buona’s support of Chicago sports teams, as the brand also offers its classics at Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate Fields, and is the “Official Italian Beef” of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox.
“The Buona family is proud to be a part of this city’s great traditions,” said second-generation executive Joe Buonavolanto, “Nothing says ‘Chicago’ like sports and the food that fuels its fans. We’re thrilled that Chicago’s original Italian beef is now offered at Soldier Field.”
Here’s where fans can find the Buona classics on the menu at Soldier Field:
- Buona Italian Beef, Italian Sausage and Beef & Sausage Combo carts are located in Sections 144 and 334
- Buona Italian Beef sandwiches are available at nine of the stadium’s Second City concession stands, and Buona Meatball sandwiches are sold at 14 of its Windy City concession stands
- All of the sandwiches, including Buona Italian Beef, Italian Sausage, Beef & Sausage Combos and Meatball sandwiches, are on the suites menu
- Pricing: Italian Beef – $9, Italian Sausage – $8.75, Beef & Sausage Combos – $13, Meatball – $12
Buona is the only family-owned restaurant group serving Chicago’s original Italian beef. The family’s legacy stems back to the original beef stands that emanated from Chicago’s Union Stockyards, where Italian beef was invented during the Great Depression – not too long after Soldier Field was erected and around the time of the Bears’ victory of the New York Giants in the very first NFL Championship game.
The first Buona restaurant began serving Chicago’s original Italian beef in Berwyn, Ill. in 1981. Founded by Buonavolanto patriarch Joe Buonavolanto, Sr., the chain has expanded nineteen locations while remaining family-owned and furthering a legacy that is equal parts family values, innovation, and adaptation. The family is defining the next-generation beef stand as a place that is the perfect blend of old-school indulgence in Chicago classics and next generation menu choices – made with a focus on fresh, scratch-made food. While the menu has expanded, the original beef recipe has not been compromised – for the three generations of Buonavolantos who are active in the company, comprise and quality are never uttered in the same breath. Buona retail products are now sold at Target, Jewel, Mariano’s, Aldi and Peapod.
Buona is the Official Beef of both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, and is proudly served at Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate and Soldier Fields. The restaurant’s Italian beef sandwich has won several awards and accolades since its inception, including USA TODAY’s 10Best, The Chicago Tribune’s Best Italian Beef in Chicago, Steve Dolinsky’s Essential Italian Beef Joints in Chicago(land), , Berwyn’s Best, West Suburban Living’s Best of the West and The Daily Herald’s Reader’s Choice Award.
For more information, visit Buona online at www.buona.com, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter or Instagram.
