Smashburgers and Opponent Dogs Headline New Food Items

For Immediate Release

SOUTH BEND, IN – A plethora of new and exciting food items will be available to fans at Four Winds Field this season, some on a permanent basis and others for single series or even individual games.

The biggest headliner is the new smashburgers. The ‘Burgertopia’ stand, now rebranded as ‘Smash’, will exclusively serve smashburgers all season long, of which guests will have three options: the Cub Burger, a classic LTO burger with bacon and the addition of ‘Cubby sauce’; the Mushroom and Swiss Burger, with sautéed mushrooms and high quality Swiss cheese, plus ‘Cubby Sauce’; and the Pub Burger, a double smashburger with beer cheese and bacon on a pretzel bun.

“The biggest driving forces for us switching to the smashburgers, one is kind of a practicality reason, it speeds up service for us,” said Executive Chef Josh Farmer. “Another aspect is that by going this route with smashburgers, they’ll offer a better texture with those crispy edges and an elevated experience. It’s also a really popular trend with burgers right now and we’re always looking to reinvent and keep up with the times.”

SMASH burger is located on the 1st base side of the concourse and open Wednesday - Sunday home games. Additional dates include April 9 and July 1 through July 3.

In 2024, on top of the specialty homestand items, each Midwest League opponent will have a featured hot dog when they play at Four Winds Field. For instance opening week the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers come to town and the Opponent Dog of the series will be the Snake Bite Dog, a classic hot dog with a Venom Sauce (habanero BBQ).

Opponent Dogs (all available at Smash):

• Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (April 9-14, May 21-26) - Snake Bite Dog (habanero BBQ)
• Quad Cities River Bandits (April 23-28, July 19-21) - Trash Panda Dog (kraut, onions, banana peppers, mustard)
• Cedar Rapids Kernels (May 7-12) - Corn Dog (corn, red onion, tomato)
• West Michigan Whitecaps (June 4-9) - Enchilada Dog (enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, cilantro)
• Lake County Captains (June 18-23) - Corned Beef Dog (corned beef, caramelized onions)
• Peoria Chiefs (July 1-3, July 23-28) - Whiskey BBQ Bacon Dog (Whiskey BBQ Sauce, Bacon)
• Fort Wayne TinCaps (August 6-11) - Apple Pie Dog (sweet apple chutney)
• Beloit Sky Carp (August 20-25) - Poutine Dog (gravy and cheese curds)
• Great Lakes Loons (August 27-September 1) - Cherry Dog (cherries, sugar)

“We’re a ballpark, we sell hotdogs,” said Farmer. “This felt like a great way to take an already popular item and continue to give it a new twist and tie it into our league with every item. It’s also a great way for us to test out potential permanent menu items, and get feedback from guests.”

The last two years, after listening to input from fans, the Cubs have offered a specialty food item for every homestand, and with Farmer back last year, the items were a smash hit. After getting a feel for what fans wanted more of and following an offseason spent in the kitchen hammering out the details, South Bend’s Executive Chef is thrilled to let fans know what’s in store for this upcoming season.

Specialty Homestand Food Items:

• April 9-14: Loaded Chili (Waveland and Sheffield)
• April 23-28: Pretzel Hot Dog with beer cheese and bacon (Clark and Addison)
• May 7-12: Mexi Dog; ground chorizo, pico de gallo (Clark and Addison)
• May 21-26: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (Waveland and Sheffield)
• June 4-9: Cub Burger (Smash)
• June 18-23: Italian Beef with giardiniera (Steakadelphia)
• July 1-3: The Grizzly; foot-long chili cheese dog (all four major concession stands)
• July 19-21: The Grizzly; foot-long chili cheese dog (all four major concession stands)
• July 23-28: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich (Waveland and Sheffield)
• August 6-11: Dessert Poutine; funnel fries, vanilla ice cream, and caramel sauce (Sweet Spot)
• August 20-25: Deep Fried PB&J on a Stick (Sweet Spot)
• August 27-September 1: individual short cakes with macerated berries (Sweet Spot)

Additional Promo Food Items:

• May 12: Mother’s Day mimosas (Round Bar)
• June 8: Star Wars Night; blue milk, Sith burger, Imperial crunch (Smash)
• June 9: Copa; Mexican street tacos (Cubs Cantina)
• June 19: Tiki Night; Tiki Bucket (Tiki Hut)
• June 22/23: Dino Days; dino nuggets (Waveland and Sheffield)
• July 1-3: July 4^th Celebration; fried apple pie sundae (Sweet Spot)
• July 20-21: Marvel’s Defender of the Diamond and Super Hero Day; Infinity mix savory popcorn (All Stands)
• July 28: Copa; Mexican street tacos (Cubs Cantina)
• August 24: Copa; Mexican street tacos (Cubs Cantina)
• August 25: Swoop’s mix savory popcorn (All Stands)

About the South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 35 seasons, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015 the team was named Ballpark Digest's Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest award in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Ill.