CHEEZ-IT® PARTNERS WITH CHAIN TO DEBUT THE CHEEZ-IT COURT, A LIMITED-TIME TAKEOVER FEATURING BOLD, CHEESY TWISTS ON FOOD COURT STAPLES INFUSED WITH Y2K NOSTALGIA

The month-long Los Angeles experience will feature three Cheez-It-infused creations inspired by the brand's take on mall classics

The 411:

• Cheez-It® is teaming up with dining phenomenon Chain to debut the Cheez-It Court, a custom-branded nostalgic food court experience.
• The limited-edition Cheez-It Court menu features three reimagined, Cheez-It-infused twists on classic mall favorites, including the Cheez-Y-Bun, Crunchy Cheez-Dog and Cheez-Steak.
• Open daily from Sept. 2 to Sept. 30, the month-long experience serves as the inaugural brand partner stall for Chain's six-month food court residency at Westfield Topanga Mall in Los Angeles.

CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dust off those butterfly clips and frosted tips and get ready to live out your ultimate Y2K dreams with Cheez-It®! This September, the ultimate social snack is teaming up with Chain — the American Pop Cuisine brand founded by B.J. Novak — to debut the Cheez-It Court, a branded limited-run food court stall, at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Los Angeles. Serving up cheesy twists on classic food court staples featuring Cheez-It crackers, the immersive experience taps into nostalgia as mall culture makes a comeback.

Featuring a menu of must-try dishes, each Cheez-It-infused creation delivers an unexpected take on mall food court favorites. Mix and match these cheesy bites or share all three with friends to get the ultimate Cheez-It Court experience:

• Cheez-Y-Bun – A sweet and savory masterpiece. This mall-inspired classic starts with a warm, gooey cinnamon roll swirled with a decadent Cheez-It Extra Cheesy-seasoned cream cheese frosting, then finished with a shortbread crumble, salted caramel crunch and topped with a crunchy Cheez-It cracker.
• Crunchy Cheez-Dog – Inspired by the viral Korean corn dog, this cheesy creation on a stick coats a premium Wagyu hot dog in a crispy panko and Cheez-It cracker crust and finishes it off with ribbons of mustard and ketchup, a pickle, Cheez-It Extra Cheesy crackers and a dusting of the cracker's seasoning for the ultimate cheesy flavor in every single bite.
• Cheez-Steak – Giving a classic Philly cheesesteak a Cheez-It upgrade, tender sliced ribeye, melty American cheese, grilled onions and pickled jalapenos are stacked onto a toasted Cheez-It Extra Cheesy seasoned hoagie roll. Complete with a creamy dill pickle aioli and a Cheez-It Hot & Spicy cracker and chive crumble, this sandwich captures the nostalgic mall magic for a new generation of foodies.

"Following fan experiences like Studio Cheez and the Cheez-In Diner, Cheez-It fuels unforgettable snack moments with IRL experiences that bring to life the versatility and flavor of Cheez-It crackers in new ways," said Nicole Sorensen, VP of Marketing for Cheez-It. "The debut of the Cheez-It Court combines our beloved snack, made with 100% real cheese, with the unmistakable nostalgia of food court classics, transforming it into the ultimate gathering place for our fans and their closest friends over their favorite snack."

THE ORIGINAL IRL HANGOUT SPOT
Step up to the counter and get transported to the ultimate mall hangout. Cheez-It proudly serves as the inaugural brand partner with its own custom-branded food stall in Chain's lineup of rotating brand collaborations during its six-month residency at Westfield Topanga Mall (6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303).

Open every day from Sept. 2 to Sept. 30, the custom-branded food court stall creates the ultimate "third space" with picture-perfect elements at every turn — from throwback-inspired employee uniforms to vibrant, cheesy cracker-patterned counters to Y2K design details.

Fans can stop by the Cheez-It Court during the following times to take a bite out of each delicious creation:

• Mondays & Tuesdays: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST
• Wednesdays & Thursdays: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST
• Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. PST

"Malls are back, and it's not just nostalgia, it's a younger generation discovering something an older generation kind of took for granted: that hanging out somewhere in person, with nothing to do but gaze and graze, is actually really fun," said Nicholas Kraft, Chief Creative Officer of Chain. "This collaboration with Cheez-It at our 6-month pop-up is the quintessential mall food court experience: three delightfully unexpected-yet-delicious dishes that are impossible to ignore and even that harder to put down."

Following the grand opening of the Cheez-It Court, the brand will drop the recipes of the items featured on CheezIt.com so fans everywhere can enjoy a taste of the food court from home. Fans can follow @CheezIt and @eatatchain on their favorite social platforms to get the 411 on the latest.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. Based on combined Mars and Kellanova 2025 net sales, we are now a $65bn+ family-owned business, with a diverse portfolio of quality snacking and food products that delight millions of people every day, and leading pet care products and veterinary services that support pets all around the world. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, EXTRA®, Pringles®, Cheez-It®, and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our approximately 170,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

ABOUT CHAIN
Founded by B.J. Novak, Chain is celebrated for its high-impact experiences and products that reimagine the foods, brands, and memories that shaped American pop culture. With advisors Chrissy Teigen, David Gelb, and a devoted community of fans, Chain transforms familiar favorites into a new kind of pop cuisine. 

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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated