‘Did Your Food Have a Face?’ PETA Appeal Comes to Chicago With Vegan BBQ Giveaway
For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2025
Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382
Attendees of the Windy City Smokeout Festival will receive some food for thought courtesy of animal defenders led by PETA’s mascot Tommy Tofu, who will hand out free vegan ribs smothered in BBQ sauce outside the United Center. The giveaway follows PETA naming Chicago its Most Vegan-Friendly City in the U.S. due to its plethora of plant-powered choices—and coincides with PETA’s striking new visual plea en route to festival parking that reminds meat-eaters to consider the face behind their barbecue feast. The vegan barbecue ribs are being expertly prepared by local restaurant The Black Vegan.
When: Thursday, July 10, 5 p.m.
Where: Outside the United Center, at the intersection of North Wood and West Madison streets, Chicago
“A BBQ festival with no vegan options is desperately behind the times, especially in America’s most vegan-friendly city,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA and Tommy Tofu will be on the scene to show diners how easy and delicious it is to leave animals in peace and off the grill.”
PETA points out that pigs are playful, intelligent, friendly animals who are soothed by music, love playing ball, sleep in “pig piles,” and even enjoy getting massages. At slaughterhouses, workers shoot pigs in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throat—often while they’re still conscious. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year; reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity; and dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.
PETA’s billboard is located at 385 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
