Blue Jays Fans Get High-Priced Update From Bo Bichette Favorite After Viral Offer
Former Blue Jays star Bo Bichette received a warm welcome back to Toronto, including standing ovations from fans, during his first return as a New York Met. His favorite Toronto steakhouse, Animl, marked the occasion by launching the "Bo Dog," a luxurious $126 hot dog featuring Wagyu, lobster, and foie gras. The price cleverly nods to Bichette's $126 million Mets contract, and all proceeds are dedicated to his charity. This creative promotion follows Animl's previous viral offer of "free steak for life" if Bichette had re-signed with the Blue Jays. The gesture underscores Bichette's enduring popularity and strong connection to the city, despite his departure, especially after his heroic 2023 World Series performance with Toronto.
Bo Bichette's return to Toronto was always expected to generate plenty of emotion. After seven memorable seasons with the Blue Jays, the two-time All-Star made his first trip back to Rogers Centre while wearing New York Mets colors following his blockbuster offseason departure.
Home fans welcomed him with standing ovations throughout the series, but they weren’t the only ones marking the occasion. One Toronto business that had become closely associated with the former Blue Jays shortstop found another creative way to celebrate his return.
“Toronto steak house Animl (pronounced Animal), the favourite local eatery of former Blue Jays player Bo Bichette, has launched the $126 Bo Dog for his return to Rogers Centre this week (June 29-July 1) as a member of the New York Mets, saying 100% of all sales will go to his charity,” Jane Stevenson reported for the Toronto Sun.
This latest promotion builds on a campaign that already captured attention among many Blue Jays fans as Bichette explored free agency.
“After going viral earlier this season for offering ‘free steak for life’ if Bichette re-signed with the Blue Jays, Animl now has the Bo Dog, made up of a Wagyu hot dog, truffle corn relish, butter-poached Atlantic lobster, and seared Quebec foie gras,” Stevenson added. “It’s priced at $126 in a nod to Bichette’s $126 million, three-year contract with the Mets.”
Rather than focusing on the disappointment of Bichette leaving Toronto, the restaurant shifted its attention toward supporting the player's charitable efforts, pledging all proceeds from the limited-time item to his foundation.
The promotion also underscores just how popular Bichette remained in Toronto despite signing elsewhere during free agency.
Although Bichette now plays for the Mets, his accomplishments with the Blue Jays continue to resonate throughout the city, especially after a heroic moment in last year’s Fall Classic.
“During the Blue Jays' World Series run, Bichette batted .348 with a .444 on-base percentage despite battling a late-season knee injury,” Alejandro Avila Fox News" href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/crying-mets-star-bo-bichette-looked-like-guy-second-guessing-move-toronto-queens" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">noted for Fox News. “His Game 7 three-run blast off Shohei Ohtani put Toronto on the brink of a World Series win, but the (Los Angeles) Dodgers broke the Blue Jays' hearts in extra innings.”
That postseason performance helped cement Bichette's place among the franchise's most popular stars of the modern era, making his return one of the most anticipated moments on Toronto's schedule.
While Blue Jays fans undoubtedly would have preferred seeing Bichette return in home colors, the reception he received — and the lengths his favorite Toronto restaurant went to commemorate the occasion — showed that his legacy with the organization remains firmly intact, even after his $126 million move to New York.