Matt Bernhard, who carried on his father’s iconic Mr. Pork Chop business, dies
The man behind longtime RAGBRAI icon Mr. Pork Chop, Matt Bernhard, has died, his family announced Monday on Facebook.
Bernhard, aka Mr. Pork Chop Jr., , for many years drove the signature pink Mr. Pork Chop bus along the route of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, stopping each day along the way to grill and sell the cyclists thick Iowa-cut chops and engage in salty banter with them.
His father, Paul, the original Mr. Pork Chop, started catering to RAGBRAI in 1983. When the elder Bernhard retired after the 2007 ride, Matt Bernhard, who had long worked with him, took over the business. Paul Bernhard died at age 88 in 2016.
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Matt Bernhard, of Bancroft, was in his late 50s when he died. In its posting on the Mr. Pork Chop Facebook site, the family did not give his exact age or the cause of his death on Sunday, and the business did not respond to requests for comment.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Matt Bernhard ― A.K.A Mr. Porkchop Jr. Matt passed away peacefully on the morning of March 24th surrounded by his closest loved ones," they wrote, adding "Matt truly loved Ragbrai, the riders, and all of those who make Ragbrai the beautiful tradition that it is."
They said they will announce the status of the business in connection with July's ride at a later date, as well as plans for a summer "celebration of life" for Bernhard.
"Thank you for your long-standing and continued support," they wrote.
Paul Bernhard, a retired farmer and longtime advocate of making good health ― he called it "soundness" ― a factor in judging hogs, became a mobile vendor on RAGBRAI after it passed through Bancroft and his stand selling porkchops there was a hit. He fell in love with a cycling community that embraced him as its carnivore king as he belted out his call of "Pork choooooooooooooooooooooooop!" to greet the hungry riders who flocked to his roadside grills.
His son shared a similar love for the ride and farming, joking last summer as he grilled chops for participants in the RAGBRAI route inspection ride that even vegetarians eat his pork. NPR Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley is among the longtime RAGBRAI riders who swear by Mr. Pork Chop's chops, and former champion bike racer Lance Armstrong stopped by when participating in the ride.
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Recalling his father, Bernhard remembered him extolling the virtues of the cycling community.
"I never met a bad biker,"' he said his father told him. "They always clean up after themselves. They’re good people. They take care of things. They take care of each other."
Matt Phippen, RAGBRAI ride director, said the ride community will mourn Bernhard's passing, just as it did his father's.
“It’s hard to sum up what Matt means to RAGBRAI,” said Phippen. “Seeing the smoke in the air, the pink bus in the distance, and interacting with him every day on route is something thousands of riders looked forward to. It will be hard to fill the void he leaves. We will miss him.”
Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI icon Matt Bernhard, aka 'Mr. Pork Chop Jr.', dies
