Chili's Explained

Chili's Grill & Bar (stylized as chili's) is an American casual dining restaurant chain^[3] founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International.

History

Chili's first location, a converted postal station on Greenville Avenue in the Vickery Meadows area of Dallas, Texas, opened in 1975. The original Chili's on Greenville Avenue moved to a new building on the same site in 1981; It relocated again in 2007.^[4]

Lavine's concept was to create an informal, full-service dining restaurant with a menu featuring different types of hamburgers offered at an affordable price. The brand grew larger, and by the early 1980s, there were 28 Chili's locations in the region, all featuring similar Southwest decor.^[5]

In 1983, Lavine sold the brand to restaurant executive Norman E. Brinker, formerly of the Pillsbury restaurant group that owned Bennigan's.^[5]

Menu

Chili's serves American food, Tex-Mex cuisine and dishes influenced by Mexican cuisine,^[6] such as shrimp tacos, quesadillas, and fajitas.

In addition to their regular menu, the company offers a nutritional menu, allergen menu, and vegetarian menu.^[7]

Advertising

"Chili's (Welcome to Chili's!)" is an advertising jingle used in Chili's Restaurant commercials to advertise the restaurant's line of baby back ribs. The song was written by Guy Bommarito and produced by Tom Faulkner Productions for GSD&M Advertising of Austin, Texas. Faulkner sings both "I want my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs..." (Which is similar to the Tommy James song "Draggin' the Line"), as well as the melodic theme. The deep "Bar-B-Q sauce" line was sung by famed New York bass vocalist Willie McCoy. A 1996 rendition of the jingle features a doo-wop quartet, Take 6, singing a cappella. Advertising Age magazine named the song first on its list of "10 songs most likely to get stuck in your head" in 2004.^[8] In October 2017, the jingle was revived to advertise Chili's new menu, where it was re-conceptualized as "Oh Baby, Chili's is Back (Baby, Back, Baby, Back)."^[9]

In 2008, the chain aired parody ads for "P. J. Bland's," a fictional restaurant chain with cardboard foods.^[10] In 2012, Chili's used Wendy Rene's Stax single, "Bar-B-Q," in their TV commercial.^[11] In September 2017, Chili's dropped about 40 percent of its menu items to focus on burgers, ribs, and fajitas.^[12]

In February 2020 Chili's announced a new marketing campaign encouraging people to "laugh so hard you pee a little."^[13] In September 2024 Chili's announced, that its advertisement campaign is working, while other food chains in the USA still struggle to entice diners into their stores. Store sales increased 14.8 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter of Chili's. ^[14]

Locations

Asia/Oceania	Europe	Middle East	North America/Caribbean	South America/Central America	Africa
China[15]	Germany, but only in U.S military bases	Bahrain	Canada	Brazil	Egypt
India		Kuwait	Dominican Republic	Chile	Morocco
Indonesia		Lebanon	Mexico	Colombia	Tunisia
Japan		Oman	United States	Costa Rica
Malaysia		Qatar	Puerto Rico	Ecuador
Philippines		Saudi Arabia		El Salvador
South Korea		United Arab Emirates		Honduras
Sri Lanka[16]				Panama
Taiwan				Peru
Pakistan				Guatemala
Guam

As of 2015, they have 1,580 locations worldwide, including 839 that are company-owned and 741 that are franchised.^{[17] [18]}

Legal problems

In October 2008, a Chili's Australia franchise was prosecuted and fined A$300,000 by the NSW Office of Industrial Relations for underpaying staff, pressuring employees to sign an Australian workplace agreement, and failing to pay A$45,000 in owed wages by a deadline set by the Office of Industrial Relations. In the same year, Chili's announced the permanent closure of all its Australian locations due to poor sales, unprofitability, and non-compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009.^[19]

In July 2024, American rap rock group the Beastie Boys filed a lawsuit against Chili's parent company Brinker International for copyright infringement, claiming that the group's 1994 song "Sabotage" has been illegally used to promote Chili's in advertisements on social media starting around November 2022.^[20]

Controversies

• 2008: On June 5, a woman from Washington named Anne Paskett filed a class-action suit against Brinker International. Paskett and the rest of the plaintiffs claimed that the restaurant chain's so-called healthier offerings, like the Chili's "Guiltless Black Bean Burger" have nutritional values much different than the ones listed on the menu. Independent laboratory tests were conducted, discovering that the fat content of the items are sometimes double, or even triple, the amount shown on these menus.^[21]
• 2009: Brinker International fired a Chili's employee for the claim of sexual harassment, only to employ her again after the public outrage. They claimed that her termination was a computer error.^[22]
• 2018: Brinker International disclosed that its data network had been breached between March and April 2018, exposing the personally identifiable information of its customers. Subsequently, several customers of Chili's filed suit against the company, alleging that its failure to comply with industry standards for information security and implement adequate data security measures to protect its data networks from the potential danger of a data breach had caused them to incur fraudulent charges on their payment cards.^[23]
• 2019: Chili's Restaurant was fined after an employee fell into a vat of scalding water.^[24]
• 2020: Brinker International and its Chili's subsidiary paid US$150,000 to settle sexual harassment allegations from five female employees.^[25]

In popular culture

Chili's was a key location in The Office season 2 episode 7 "The Client." The episode shows Michael and Jan meeting a client at a local Chili's restaurant after Michael had changed the location of the meeting from Radisson citing Chili's as "the new golf course." The Chili's jingle was also used in where Fat Bastard meets Dr. Evil with the mojo belonging to Austin Powers. When he sees Mini-Me walk out with the money, startling him, he tries to eat him, thinking he is a baby. After attempting to eat Mini-Me, Fat Bastard suggests that Dr. Evil keeps the mojo, and he gets the baby, and then sings the Chili's Babyback Ribs song. In Season one of "That '90s Show," the recurring character, Fez, mentions Chili's is the location where he and his current lover had met, also making a reference to the Babyback Ribs jingle. Chili's was mentioned several times in the 2010 road comedy Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.^[26]

April 5th, 2024, in Austin, Texas, was declared Chili's at 45th & Lamar Day.^{[27] [28]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: FY 2011 10-K. Brinker International, Inc.. June 29, 2011. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 17, 2012. December 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211218124750/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/703351/000119312511235557/d10k.htm. live.
2. Web site: 2011 Annual Report to Shareholders. Brinker International, Inc.. June 29, 2011. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 17, 2012. December 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211218124752/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/703351/000119312511235557/dex13.htm. live.
3. Web site: American and Mexican Food Restaurant and Bar in India - Chili's India. Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant. November 26, 2016. November 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161107231908/http://www.chilisindia.com/. live.
4. Web site: Brinker 2007 Corporate report . Brinker publication . Brinker International, Inc. . October 2007 . December 19, 2007 . December 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211218124406/https://www.brinker.com/company/brinker2007/01/page08.htm . live .
5. Web site: Brinker International . Answers.com . December 19, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071018234953/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Brinker-International-Inc-Company-History.html . October 18, 2007 .
6. Web site: Chili's website . If you're hungry for juicy burgers, Tex-Mex classics, or Mexican-inspired bowls, you've come to the right place. . December 8, 2020 . December 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201201032316/https://www.chilis.com/locations/us/texas/dallas?lat=32.7766642&lng=-96.79698789999999 . live .
7. Web site: Chili's Restaurant Menu. Brinker International. 2012. April 19, 2012. July 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160719185112/http://www.chilisindia.com/menu.html. live.
8. News: 10 Songs most likely to get stuck in your head.(The Book of Tens) . Advertising Age. . December 2004 . June 24, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090207103128/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6398/is_200412/ai_n26182606?tag=artBody;col1 . February 7, 2009 . dead .
9. Web site: Chili's revives famous 'baby back ribs' jingle ... but it's a little different. Pennell, Julie. October 6, 2017. Today. August 11, 2018. May 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190522035004/https://www.today.com/food/chili-s-grill-bar-baby-back-ribs-jingle-returns-t117184. live.
10. Web site: Chili's Spoofs Restaurant Ads with 'P.J. Bland's' Campaign. Burger Business. April 15, 2009. April 28, 2009. April 22, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090422135014/http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=941. live.
11. Web site: Chili's $20 Dinner for Two TV Commercial, Song by Wendy Rene. iSpot.tv. January 22, 2018. January 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180122235116/https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7wTD/chilis-20-dinner-for-two-song-by-wendy-rene. live.
12. News: Chili's just cut dozens of items from its menu — here are the beloved dishes that didn't make it. Business Insider. October 3, 2017. en. March 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200322145605/https://www.marketingdive.com/news/chilis-wants-you-to-laugh-so-hard-you-pee-a-little-with-new-campaign/572527/#:~:text=Chili's%20%E2%80%8Bwants%20to%20entice,memes%20and%20make%20TikTok%20videos.. live.
13. Web site: Chili's wants you to 'laugh so hard you pee a little' with new campaign. Marketing Dive. January 24, 2021. January 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124051903/https://www.marketingdive.com/news/chilis-wants-you-to-laugh-so-hard-you-pee-a-little-with-new-campaign/572527/#:~:text=Chili's%20%E2%80%8Bwants%20to%20entice,memes%20and%20make%20TikTok%20videos.. live.
14. Web site: Here's why Americans are going back to Chili's. CNBC. 14 September 2024. 14 September 2024.
15. Web site: Chili's (Binjiang Da Dao) . Smart Shanghai . November 27, 2019 . July 3, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190703141444/http://www.smartshanghai.com/venue/17378/chilis_binjiang_da_dao . live .
16. Web site: Chili's Srilanka . August 18, 2021 . August 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210818000027/https://chilis.lk/ . live .
17. Web site: Brinker International. November 26, 2016. October 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161005200615/http://www.brinker.com/company/Brinker2015/annualreport2015.pdf. live.
18. Web site: Chilis Franchise Information. www.franchisetimes.com. en. January 22, 2018. January 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180122235119/http://www.franchisetimes.com/Top-200/Chilis. dead.
19. Web site: Fast food chain off the boil. . Illawarra Mercury . 2008 . October 26, 2009 . April 25, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090425234942/http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/fast-food-chain-off-the-boil/465291.aspx . live .
20. Millman . Ethan . 2024-07-11 . Beastie Boys Sue Chili's Owner for Using 1994 Hit Song 'Sabotage' in Advertisements . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240712023925/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beastie-boys-sues-chilis-sabotage-ads-1235058349/ . 2024-07-12 . 2024-07-12 . . en-US.
21. Web site: Wilonsky . Robert . Folks Sue Brinker, Claiming Its Guiltless Food Is a Little Too Guilty . May 27, 2022 . Dallas Observer . en . May 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220528045056/https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/folks-sue-brinker-claiming-its-guiltless-food-is-a-little-too-guilty-7104528 . live .
22. Web site: January 23, 2009 . Chili's Fires* Long-Time Employee After Sexual Harassment Claim [UPDATED] ]. May 27, 2022 . HuffPost . en . May 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220512163550/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chilis-fires-long-time-em_b_153114 . live .
23. Web site: August 10, 2019 . BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION INITIATED By Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of Brinker International, Inc. - EAT . May 27, 2022 . www.businesswire.com . en . May 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220512163549/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190809005430/en/BRINKER-INTERNATIONAL-INVESTIGATION-INITIATED-By-Former-Louisiana-Attorney-General-Kahn-Swick-Foti-LLC-Investigates-the-Officers-and-Directors-of-Brinker-International-Inc.---EAT . live .
24. News: Chili's in Florida fined over $62,000 after employee falls into vat of scalding water . Fox News . March 18, 2019 . June 29, 2022 . June 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629102447/https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/chilis-in-florida-fined-over-62000-after-employee-falls-into-vat-of-scalding-water . live .
25. Web site: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . Cañon City Chili's Restaurant to Pay $150,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit . jdsupra.com . June 29, 2022 . April 15, 2020 . July 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220717163151/https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/canon-city-chili-s-restaurant-to-pay-25572/ . live .
26. Web site: Chili's Reservation - Due Date . . YouTube .
27. Web site: Austin mayor names April 5 'Chili's at 45th and Lamar Day'. April 6, 2024. KXAN-TV. Russell. Falcon.
28. Web site: Austin's Chili's at 45th and Lamar Day Is Real and Official. April 5, 2024. KVUE. Johann. Castro. Britny. Eubank.