Family-focused diner concept will support public and private high schools in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington
REDDING, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Black Bear Diner, the one-of-a-kind, bear-themed dining concept offering a family-friendly atmosphere and classic, home-style comfort food, today announced it will be the Official Family Diner for high school athletic organizations in six U.S. states. The multi-year partnership, beginning in the 2021-2022 school year and extending through the 2023- 2024 school year, deepens Black Bear Diner’s commitment to the dozens of communities it serves – including young athletes and their families.
The designation of Official Family Diner allows for a branded presence at select state-sponsored high school athletic events at the sectional, regional and championship levels in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Additionally, Black Bear Diner will be the presenting sponsor of a new, weekly promotion, designed to engage student athletes, their families and fans, and showcase excellence in teamwork. Dependent on the region, the series will be called
“Teamwork Tuesday” or “Teamwork Thursday.”
“We are so pleased to be supporting high school athletic programs in communities across multiple states that we already call home,” said Anita Adams, CEO of Black Bear Diner. “As a company that is focused on family and bringing people together over a delicious, hearty meal at any time of the day, Black Bear Diner is proud to be the Official Family Diner for the next three school years.”
All six participating state associations are represented by sports management company Playfly Sports. Those include Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA), Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA), Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
“We are honored to partner with Black Bear Diner, a California headquartered company that values our community as much as we do,” said Brian Sandy, General Manager of CIF Sports Properties. “We look forward to having Black Bear Diner serve as a destination for the team gatherings, post- game meals, and championship celebrations for our athletes, teams and their families. We truly appreciate their support of education-based athletics.”
About Black Bear Diner
Black Bear Diner is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. Founded in 1995 by Bruce Dean and Bob Manley in Mt. Shasta, California, Black Bear Diner brings home-style comfort food classics and personal service to the dining experience. The quickly growing family dining concept, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offers a vast, enticing menu anchored in hearty portions and excellent value, with service rooted in genuine hospitality.
The franchise now operates 143 locations in 14 states and growing. Black Bear Diner has been consistently recognized for its significant growth and outstanding performance – Winner of FSR Magazine’s 2021 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Legacy Brand, Top 10 Customer Service Winner,
Top 10 Fastest-Growing Chain and Top Disruptor from Nation’s Restaurant News. Franchise Times has called Black Bear Diner one of the “smartest-growing brands” in the country. The
company is a disruptor in the family-dining segment for its growth and performance and will continue to focus on serving home-style comfort food classics and bringing personal service back to the dining industry as the brand continues to execute its expansion plan.
About Playfly Sports
Playfly Sports is the full-service, leading sports marketing and media company that enables brands to engage with sports fans on a local, regional, and national level through scaled linear, digital, and experiential assets. Playfly Sports drives outcome-based solutions into 90-million households via more than 7,800 live U.S. broadcasts of MLB, NBA, and NHL games; and influences sports fans of all ages through the management of high school and college multimedia rights, uniform branding, and high-profile sports sponsorship platforms. The company introduces high school and college students to career development opportunities in esports through CSL Esports, operators of North America’s largest college esports league. Playfly Sports has the unique ability to partner, innovate, and advance the aspirations of athletes, brands, academic institutions, and sports fans across the U.S. Playfly Sports is Powered by Partnership. Visit Playfly Sports online at playfly.com and follow Playfly Sports on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @PlayflySports.
About the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
Created in 1914, the CIF is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. CIF is uniquely positioned to foster student growth in values and ethics. CIF’s ideal of “Pursuing Victory with Honor,” provides the opportunity to influence the actions of the athletic community. CIF strives to promote equity, quality, character, and academic development. CIF is a nonprofit federation and the state office, located in Sacramento, Calif., represents the interests of its member Sections. The 10 Sections represent geographic regions within the state: Central, Central Coast, Los Angeles City, North Coast, Northern, Oakland, Sac-Joaquin, San Diego, San Francisco, and Southern. CIF represents 1,605 public and private member schools and more than 838,000 student-athletes. CIF conducts Regional and State Championships in badminton, baseball, traditional competitive cheer, cross country, football, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, basketball, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, track & field, golf, and water polo. CIF Sections conduct championships in more than 26 sports. Visit CIF at CIFState.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CIFState.
About Arizona Interscholastic Association
The AIA is a voluntary association of public and private Arizona high schools. Since 1913, the organization has created and sustained interscholastic activities that encourage maximum student participation by providing AIA member schools with an even playing field to ensure fair and equitable competition. The AIA believes that providing interscholastic activities for Arizona high school students creates personal development opportunities with a balanced focus on academics and extracurricular activities. Through its Arizona member schools, the AIA reaches more than 100,000 participants in high school activity programs. The organization hosts 5,000 championship contests and officiates more than 45,000 regular season games. For more information, visit www.aiaonline.org and www.azpreps365.com.
About IHSAA
Established in 1926, the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) is a private, non-profit, board-governed association that consists of 165 member schools across the state of the Idaho and annually sponsors 18 interscholastic activities. The mission of the Idaho High School Activities Association is to coordinate, supervise, and direct interscholastic activities which enhance and protect the total educational process of all student participants. For more information, visit www.idhsaa.org.
About NIAA
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) is private, non-profit organization (501c3) governing high school athletics in the Silver State. The NIAA was formed originally by the state’s secondary schools and their district superintendents, and it is recognized by the Nevada state legislature. The Association’s purpose is to promote, coordinate, and regulate statewide activities on an equal level that is part of the total educational program for the students. It is important to note, however, that the NIAA does not receive direct state funding. The NIAA’s three revenue streams are corporate partnerships, event ticket sales, and member school’s dues.
About OSAA
Created in 1918, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is a private non-profit, board- governed association comprised of 295 public and private member high schools. A member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, the OSAA annually sponsors 113 team and 426 individual event state championships for students competing in 19 interscholastic activities. For more information, visit OSAA.org or follow @OSAASports on social media.
About WIAA
Founded in 1905, the WIAA is a membership organization of over 800 middle level and high schools from every corner of the state with the goal of making memories through education-based activities. The WIAA supports and sponsors 23 sports along with five activities that incorporate over 500,000 student participants. The WIAA and its member schools believe in the value of extra-curricular activities have been linked to better standardized test scores, increased school attendance, improved physical and mental health, and a more positive student experience.