Why is the Bear called The Bear?

The Bear series focuses on the life of talented chef Carmy as he works to realize his dream of opening a restaurant with the same. But why is the restaurant called The Bear?

Jeremy Allen White returns in The Bear Season 3 as the perpetually stressed and hot-headed Chief Carmy.

After two seasons of preparation, Carmy is now in the heart of the action as his new gourmet restaurant, also named The Bear, is now open.

While the restaurant’s name has been known since the very beginning of The Bear, some wonder how Carmy came up with it. So here’s everything we know about The Bear’s history.

Why is the bear called the bear?

The Bear restaurant is called The Bear because it’s a play on words with Carmy’s last name..

Carmy’s last name is Berzatto which is pronounced “bear-zatto”. Because of this, some of her family and friends use the term bear as a nickname for various Berzattos.

Carmy’s older brother Mikey was called Mikey Bear while their sister, Natalie, whose other nickname is Sugar, was sometimes called Sugar Bear.

However, it’s Carmy himself who is constantly called Bear, so it’s no surprise that he wants to use a special name for his dream restaurant.

The name actually has a double family connection since Carmy was supposed to open The Bear with Mikey.

Before moving to New York to become a Michelin-starred chef, Carmy planned to stay in Chicago and open The Bear with Mikey, who already owned the sandwich shop The Original Beef of Chicagoland.

In the iconic and haunting Christmas episode of Season 2, Carmy gave Mikey framed shots of the diner and the front door that featured a picture of a bear.

Despite the Berzattos’ complicated relationship, Carmy loved her older brother very much and wanted to realize this dream with him.

However, Mikey continued to push Carmy not to work with him at The Original Beef, which then prompted Carmy to move to New York to become a trained chef.

Mikey’s aversion to having his little brother around came from his desire not to harm Carmy’s talent because of his addiction, but Carmy didn’t realize this until he was too late.

After Mikey’s death, Carmy returned to Chicago to take over The Original Beef. He also decided to make their dream a reality by opening The Bear with existing staff.

For more, check out our guides to The Bear Season 3 soundtrack and The Bear Season 3 guest stars. Don’t forget to check out our The Bear Season 3 recaps and finale.