The following article contains spoilers for The Bear’s “Scallop.”
If there’s one thing FX’s critically acclaimed series The Bear is known for, it’s causing chaos in the kitchen. The Chicago-based fine dining dramedy offers an unfiltered look at the aptly named fictional restaurant The Bear and stars Jeremy Allen White as Executive Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, Ayo Edebiri as Chef de Cuisine Sydney Adamu, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Maître D’hôtel Richard “Richie” Jerimovich.
In The Bear’s “Scallop,” the restaurant staff, led by Moss-Bachrach’s Richie, get to surprise a family celebrating their daughter’s six-month remission. The family is very excited for the meal—we’re told that they made the pilgrimage from Los Angeles for the occasion—and have a gift card they can’t wait to spend. However, on the day of their visit, Richie learns that this family has a request: Can the restaurant’s famous Italian beef sandwich, normally a lunch-only item, also be served to dinner guests?
Richie is relieved to hear this. Given the restaurant’s money troubles on display throughout Seasons 3 and 4, the budget for executing elaborate surprises for special guests has been, in his words, “eviscerated,” but a classic beef sandwich? Yeah, they can afford that.
But the sandwich isn’t the family’s only wish for the evening. According to front-of-house staffers Garrett (Andrew Lopez) and Rene (Rene Gube, pulling double-duty as the writer of this episode), the daughter has always wanted to see snow in Chicago. “I wish we could afford to bring them back in December,” Rene laments, seeing as it’s currently late summer in the show.
But fear not—the daughter’s dream will become a reality, after all, thanks to some quick thinking by Richie. Ever resourceful, he assures his team that all they need to make it “snow” in summer is some sand, a power washer, and a 45-degree angle nozzle. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s going to have the desired effect.
This moment, a precursor to the one later in the episode when the family experiences the surprise, is emblematic of a lesson Richie learned during his Season 2 spotlight episode, “Forks” (Episode 7), which saw him spend a week staging at (now-shuttered) Ever, a semi-fictional three-star restaurant run by Chef Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman).
Up until that point in Season 2, Richie had been struggling with his sense of purpose while everyone around him seemed to be smoothly transitioning from sandwich shop employees to fine dining staffers (The Bear was a humble sandwich shop in Season 1, before being converted throughout Season 2 into the upscale restaurant it is today).
Throughout his week at Ever, Richie works with Garrett, Rene, and expeditor Jessica (Sarah Ramos), all of whom later join him at The Bear in the Season 4 premiere after Ever closes its doors for good in the Season 3 finale. From them, Richie learns the intricacies of world-class hospitality and experiences firsthand when a restaurant goes out of its way to provide exceptional service to its patrons.
In that episode, Richie gets a triumphant moment when he surprises a table with deep-deep pizza from Chicago staple Pequod’s Pizza after a staffer overheard the patrons discussing it during their meal. This has a profound effect on Richie, and, coupled with a meaningful early-morning chat with Chef Terry on his last day at Ever, during which the 45-year-old is reminded that it’s “never too late to start over,” he realizes what his purpose could be at Sydney and Carmy’s new restaurant.
Fast-forward to The Bear‘s “Scallop,” and Richie is thriving as head of waitstaff, albeit hamstrung by the aforementioned budget restrictions. He understands the importance of taking care of his patrons and doing what he can to elevate their time at The Bear, which brings us back to his cost-effective snow surprise for the West Coast family.
That evening, the family enjoys their surprise course of Italian beef sandwiches—delivered to the table by Richie in a manner that’s deeply reminiscent of the Pequod’s Pizza moment in “Forks”—before Rene informs them that their final course will be served outside.
The family rounds the corner of the building, only to be greeted by pastry chef Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce), who presents them with the final course of the evening: hot chocolate with marshmallows, “best enjoyed in snow,” as Rene tells them. Cue the reveal of The Bear’s outdoor dining area, now beautifully decorated in shockingly realistic-looking “snow.”
As the awestruck family takes in the winter wonderland, several restaurant staffers emerge from the kitchen at the end of service to appreciate the surprise themselves. Richie is, of course, among them, sporting a joyful smile as he witnesses the fruits of his labor. The wholesome scene is accompanied by Dion’s “Only You Know,” one of many in a long line of pitch-perfect needle drops on The Bear. As the singer-songwriter croons, “Only you know what you have been through // There’s better things you’re gonna get into,” and it’s a brilliant encapsulation of Richie’s journey on The Bear thus far.
But the scene doesn’t end here, at least not for the audience. Shown getting into a car just a few yards away from the snowy surprise is Mr. Clark, a solo diner who’d been seated at the next table over from the Californian family. Earlier in the episode, Richie had apologized to this man for his overexuberance when delivering the beef sandwich, but the man had been unbothered, telling Richie that the gesture had “made [the family] so happy” and then going on to praise the restaurant’s food and atmosphere. Richie had then offered him his own Italian beef sandwich for the trouble, which he gratefully accepted: “[I was] waiting for you to ask.”
This diner is seen in the background when Rene escorts the family outside at the end of their meal, and then again as they’re enjoying the snow and their hot chocolates. Both times he’s watching, touched, as the strangers next to him have the best night of their lives courtesy of the staff at The Bear. We discover his name is Mr. Clark thanks to the rideshare driver who picks him up, and it’s then that the final puzzle piece slots into place.
It turns out there’s a reason the show focused so much on this unfamiliar patron throughout the delivery of the family’s surprise, and the reason is simple: This man is a Michelin Guide inspector. It’s been established since the Season 2 premiere, before The Bear is even built, that Sydney and Carmy are angling for a Michelin star. The accomplishment would skyrocket the restaurant’s credibility and desirability, and hopefully also help alleviate some of their financial burden.
As a result, everyone is on high alert for these inspectors, but the previous episode, “Soubise,” explains how they tend to employ a variety of tactics to remain undetected by restaurant staff, including making reservations under weird names. We’re told these inspectors sometimes use fake last names that are just streets in the cities they’re visiting—and wouldn’t you know it? Chicago just so happens to have a Clark Street.
This reveal in The Bear’s “Scallop” is purely for the audience—The Bear staffers aren’t within earshot of Mr. Clark’s driver as she refers to his alias—and it’s meant to communicate to us that by treating “every guest…like they’re the chosen one” (advice given by real-life restaurateur Donnie Madia in a cameo appearance in Episode 2), they’ve unknowingly impressed the man who holds the metaphorical key to the restaurant’s future.
Even though we don’t see it happen this season, the memorable experience of “Mr. Clark” all but confirms that The Bear will receive its first Michelin star sometime soon (The Bear was renewed for its fifth season on July 1). And it’s all thanks to a little sand, some water, and a formerly aimless sandwich shop employee who finally found his purpose.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Richie making it snow in The Bear’s “Scallop?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©FX