TORONTO, ON – APRIL 20: Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays runs to the dugout prior to a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on April 20, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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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.
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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.
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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 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.