I Get Why Chili's Is Cool Again
A quick case study!
I hadn’t stepped foot into a Chili’s in at least 20 years until this week, where I made an active plan to get dinner there with my friend, the very talented ceramicist Debbie Carlos, while visiting my suburban Michigan hometown.
Even though i’ve always had a soft spot for chain restaurants*, I never really thought about Chili’s and instead always found myself more focused on the Olive Gardens and P.F. Changs of the world. But in the past 8-10 months, the chain felt like it was everywhere (especially on my For You Page) and I found myself googling if I could get their mozzarella sticks delivered more times than I care to admit.
(*yes, chain restaurants can be problematic but it is also the type of restaurant most people have access to, so they will always matter to me — a future newsletter)
The fact of the matter is that Chili’s has become cool again. Traffic at the chain was. up nearly 20% at the end of last year even though traffic across most casual-dining restaurants have been down by almost 4 percent, notes the Wall Street Journal. The article also includes this fun fact: “Restaurant sales at Chili’s were up over 31% in the latest three-month period compared with a year earlier.”
But after my recent dinner there, I can see why Chili’s has seen a resurgence while other chains are struggling. I think it comes down to 4 things:
Actual Innovation (& Mozzarella Sticks)
The mozzarella sticks are genius and the best mozzarella sticks in the chain game. The shape itself is innovative — it’s rectangular but still thick. I like the breading to cheese ratio and it’s perfect for dunking into sauce, and the shape results in a truly epic cheese pull. But even more impressive is that Chilis thought to offer mozzarella sticks coated in sauces the way that they offer wings. There’s currently two options on the menu: a sweet and spicy honey chipotle and a buttery nashville hot coating option (trendy!) alongside a well seasoned, classic mozzarella stick. It’s a brilliant move that I plan to steal. I just hope Chili’s expands the number of flavors — would love to see an orange chicken-type sauce or a butter chicken/makhani sauce option or even a classic buffalo.
Triple Dippers
The chain’s appetizer sampler, which comes in at sub $20, makes up 14% of the chain’s total sales. This is not surprising when you think about the very intentional social media strategy around the Triple Dippers (Rachel Karten’s excellent newsletter Link In Bio has a great breakdown here.)
In many ways, the Triple Dipper (which comes with things like crispy chicken tenders, mozz sticks, and southwestern egg rolls) is geared to be social media gold: crispy things being dunked in sauces like ranch, epic cheese pulls, can be eaten in the front seat of your car. When something floods your FYP page, it’s easy to feel like everyone is eating something that you are not.
My server said that it is rare that a table does not order a Triple Dipper, and that she often gets parties of 6-10 people, namely teens and young adults, who come in and each order their own Triple Dipper as their meal.
Very Good Margaritas
I found myself deeply surprised at the quality of the bar program at Chili’s — especially when it came to margaritas. All of their margaritas are made with a housemade sour mix and not one of those terrible bottled options that are always way to cloying. They offer several fun tequila options: Don Julio, Casamigos, Teremana (the rock’s brand), Patrón and they very recently introduced frozen Patron margaritas for $10.
Reader, it was was on the best frozen margaritas i’ve ever had?! The texture was incredibly, so many tiny ice crystals. The strawberry puree was fresh and my friend’s frozen spicy margarita had a nice, gentle kick and even a sprinkle of Tajin. The flavor options were shockingly chic and included blackberry and mango. They did still have a selection of over-the-top cocktails like the “arctic drift” that is bright blue concoction made of a frozen margarita topped with Malibu, blue curaçao, and pineapple juice. But for the most part, the drinks were thoughtful. I would actively go drink there.
Deals!
It’s no secret that everything, especially food, remains expensive. And while I will always advocate for spending your dollars at independent restaurants first — it’s not always an option.
The prices at Chili’s is a huge part of the growing appeal:
Triple Dippers are less than $20 in most markets, and can easily be broken into two meals.
$10 Patron Margaritas
And I noticed they also have a number of lunch and dinner deals, including something called the “3 for me” which for $10.99 incudes a burger, fries, soup or salad or chips and salsa, and a fountain drink. Most fast food meals these days cost at least $10-$15, so this honestly feels like a great deal? And we love a plan that is looking out for the solo diner. too!
Need to update my list of favorite chain dishes!
Would love to know if you have been to a Chili’s lately, and what you thought of your experience?
No one has ever done a good Southwestern roll despite the brilliance of the concept, alas! That said, the meat at Chili's is also surprisingly good! Keep up the writing!
Wow. Yum??? That all sounds amazing. And the office fans will always love chilis for obvious reasons.