Richard Jerimovich

**Richard "Richie" Jerimovich** is a main character in the first and second seasons of the comedy drama series ***The Bear***. He is a chef at The Original Beef of Chicagoland. He is portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

## Background

Abrasive yet undeniably charming, Richie was Michael’s best friend and barnacle to the Berzatto family. As manager of The Original Beef of Chicagoland, he clings to tradition.

Richie has a daughter named Eva with his ex-wife Tiff. After the divorce, he finds it increasingly difficult to spend time with and support Eva, as she doesn't understand her parents separation.

## Personality

Richie is a sarcastic hard ass who gives everyone around him a hard time out of fear and anger at his life. He's very stubborn and can be lazy when he wants to be. Once you get through his angry exterior, he becomes a loving and caring guy. He cares strongly for his "family" even if he doesn't show it in words.

After staging, Richie discovers his immense potential for the front of house, drawing from his natural charisma.

## Throughout the Series

### Season 1

Richie Jerimovich is introduced as the best friend of Michael, the late brother of Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto. Richie plays a significant role in the story, initially resisting Carmy's proposed changes to modernize The Original Beef of Chicagoland, the rundown restaurant owned by Michael.

Carmy and Richie collaborate to cater a children's birthday party for Cicero, during which Richie's Xanax accidentally gets spiked into homemade Ecto cooler, causing the children to pass out.

Richie is also responsible for hiring Fak, a friend of his, to fix a toilet backup at the restaurant. However, a confrontation between Fak and Richie escalates into a fight, which Carmy has to intervene and break up. During this altercation, Fak reveals that Richie has been selling cocaine in the alley behind the restaurant as a means to sustain the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Richie agrees to stop selling drugs.

When the restaurant experiences a setback due to a blown fuse and a damaged condenser, Carmy asks Richie to acquire the necessary funds by selling cocaine one last time. However, Sydney comes to the rescue by running an outdoor lunch service using a makeshift barbecue setup.

Richie's role takes a more negative turn when he feels left out and unneeded due to Sydney's success in bonding with the staff and improving the restaurant. As a result, Richie calls the police on local gangsters after a scuffle breaks out. It's implied that his actions were driven by a sense of jealousy.

At the end of Season 1, during a chaotic incident in the kitchen, Richie accidentally gets stabbed by Sydney. This prompts Sydney to announce her immediate resignation, and Carmy's mental state begins to deteriorate.

Richie's attends a bachelor party at The Beef, where a fight occurs, and he is arrested and charged with aggravated assault for nearly killing a guest.

### Season 2

Richie is involved in the development and opening of The Bear restaurant. Initially, he assists Carmy and Sydney with construction efforts and encounters challenges like the discovery of mold. Richie's pregnant wife, Tiffany, falls ill, and he requests a job from Cicero, which is granted. Richie's skepticism toward an upscale restaurant shifts after witnessing the dedication of its staff, leading him to become enthusiastic and acquire skills in expediting a busy dinner service. The owner of the restaurant, Terry, shares her experiences and expresses Carmy's belief in Richie's potential for success.

Ten days before the restaurant's opening, Richie returns with a newfound sense of purpose. He apologizes to Natalie and assists in interviewing front-of-house candidates. Sydney perceives Claire as a threat to Carmy's focus. During the soft opening, Richie takes charge of the front of the house while Sydney runs the kitchen. Challenges arise, such as a shortage of forks and Carmy getting trapped in the walk-in fridge. However, Richie successfully manages the situation. Richie has a heated argument with Carmy but later realizes his mistakes when Carmy plays a voicemail from Claire expressing her love. Carmy is eventually freed from the fridge, leaving Richie defeated.

Despite the challenges, Richie remains an integral part of the team, running the front of house during service and playing a crucial role in maintaining operations. The significance of Richie's character is highlighted by his transformation, from skepticism to enthusiasm and his ability to adapt and contribute to the success of The Bear.

## Relationships

### Sydney

Richie and Sydney have a poor relationship with one another for the majority of the first season, owing mainly to his rudeness and mistrust towards her and the ideas she proposes to improve the Beef. The two of them are able to bond briefly in the first season when she is forced to drive him to a store to buy caulk, and she hears him talk with his daughter over the phone. Despite this, the two of them constantly butt heads with each other, due to Sydney's having no respect for Richie and Richie not trusting her. Tensions between them reach a boiling point in Review, when Richie accuses her of intentionally serving her own risotto, which they do not serve at the Beef, to a food critic, while Sydney denies that it was on purpose. Tensions escalate between them further when she accidentally leaves the preorder option open. Amidst the long chaos, the two begin to viscously insult each other, eventually culminating in Sydney threatening to stab him with her kitchen knife. Despite their animosity towards each other, Sydney appears genuinely shocked and remorseful when she accidentally stabs him, and it may have been the final straw to cause her to quit the restaurant. At the same Sydney and Richie do not talk to each other for more of the finale, but when she finally returns, he does not bring up the stabbing and simply tells her to grab a can opener.

Their relationship improves considerably during the second season. In the first half of the season, the two of them continue to occasionally butt heads, although Richie makes a conscious effort to not yell at her by adopting breathing techniques and the stabbing is not brought up. ￼ Upon returning from staging at a restaurant, the two of them are much friendlier towards each other, owing to Richie's vastly improved attitude and competency, and Sydney even complements his new suit. The two develop an amicable relationship of trust and respect, illustrated by Richie addressing her as "Chef Sydney" and Sydney trusting him to run expo when Carmy is trapped in the fridge.

### Carmy

Richie and Carmy have a positive, albeit rocky relationship. Richie was Carmy's older brother, Mikey's, best friend. While not as close to him as Michael was, Carmy grew up with Richie in and out of his home as a kid, and they view each other as family. Upon Carmy taking over the Beef, Richie showed extreme skepticism towards the changes Carmy intended to make, afraid that they would disrupt the system that was already in place. The two would constantly argue over leadership decisions concerning the restaurant. Because of their family history, however, even after having terrible arguments, the two would always eventually reconcile. In addition, Richie would gradually warm up to Carmy's ideas and leadership style. The two would also bond over their shared grief from Michael and their attempts to pay off his debts. During one particularly hectic day, Carmy furiously addressed everyone in the kitchen, including Richard, even reacting nonchalantly after the latter got accidentally stabbed, saying "he probably deserved it". In the finale, after the dust settled, the two bonded when Richie gave Carmy the letter Michael had left him. After they discover the money Michael left behind, the two of them happily begin working on opening the Bear.

In the second season, Richie and Carmy's friendship improves substantially. In Beef, Richie confides in him about his desire for "purpose" and reveals his fear that he will get left behind by everyone else, although Carmy reassures him that this will never happen. Over the course of the season, the two of them work together on preparing the restaurant for opening, along with Sugar and Sydney. This involves Richie trying his best to solve various construction issues on how own, in an attempt prove his worth to the restaurant, much to the chagrin of his co-workers when he only ends up causing more problems. This resulted in Carmy eventually sending Richie to work as an assistant to a high profile restaurant. Despite intending it as an opportunity for him to improve, Richie initially viewed it as punishment and resented Carmy for it. By the end, however, Richie realized that it was an opportunity for him to improve, and expressed gratitude to Carmy. Upon his return, Richie had gained a new attitude and became a far more valuable member of the restaurant, helping with interviews, and preparing the new staff members for opening night, to Carmy's surprise and appreciation. On the opening night, Richie proved to be one of the most valuable members of the staff by providing excellent customer service to the customers and even successfully taking over expo after Carmy got stuck in the walk-in. Despite this, however, the two ended up getting into one of their worst arguments ever over Carmy's treatment of Claire, and the two end the season on bad terms.

## Trivia

* He hates being called Rick.
* Richie continues to drive despite holding a suspended license.
* Although Michael and Carmy commonly refer to Richie as 'cousin', he is not actually related to them.
* He is saved on his ex-wife's phone as 'Richie Bad News
* He is an only child.
* In Richie's speech to the staff, he says 'We're gonna be *streets ahead* tonight'. The phrase "streets ahead" is a reference to the catchphrase of Pierce Hawthorne from the NBC sitcom *Community.*
	+ Richie's ex-wife, Tiffany, is played by Gillian Jacobs, who also played the character Britta Perry in *Community*.