“Hi, welcome to Chili’s” isn’t just a Vine throwback anymore – it’s the reality for more and more customers as the restaurant chain enjoys record traffic.
Parent company Brinker International, which also owns Maggiano’s Little Italy, recently posted stronger-than-expected earnings, thanks largely to a 24% jump in Chili’s quarterly sales. Chili’s has achieved growth for 17 consecutive quarters managing to attract diners even while many other casual dining chains continue to struggle.
On the social side the key driver appears to be a mix of memes and timely promotions. Brinker International’s earnings report points to their most recent sales boost to be due to ads that emphasize the brand’s “industry-leading value” while motivating new customers to give it a try.
As Chili’s Chief Marketing Officer George Felix said to Marketing Brew, in the last year to year and a half they’ve seen social media as real driver of their business, and how they have received tangible traffic into the restaurants and sales.
His goal upon joining was to bring Chili’s back into relevance within pop culture and the wider conversation, and in order to achieve that he relied on social media, especially TikTok. He gave his social team the green light to act quickly, which he now believes has paid off.
As long as clear brand guidelines are followed, Chili’s CMO sees social media as the perfect testing ground for fresh marketing ideas, which is a space Chili’s uses often. Recent examples include playfully sparring with TGI Fridays in an X comment back in May and posting a February TikTok joking about sneaking ranch dressing across borders.
In addition to quick, reactive posts, Felix explained that Chili’s also creates planned “culture pops”- campaigns designed to keep the brand part of ongoing cultural conversations. Recent examples include the nostalgia-fueled Office-themed activation at its new Scranton, Pennsylvania, location earlier this year,
Some viral moments tend to happen naturally, and as Felix stated when they noticed Triple Dipper attention while promoting their new burger, their team quickly switched and turned their marketing activities towards the mozzarella sticks. “When we saw people doing cheese pulls and really jumping on that, it was something we couldn’t ignore,” Felix said. He also noted that brands have to let fans steer the conversation around what they love most about your brand and then you should join in on the fun.
Chili’s has boosted its marketing spend from $32M in 2022 to $137M in 2025, leaning into its value message, however the brand knows value messaging only works if the in-restaurant experience matches. Investments in food quality and interiors aim to ensure first-time visitors return. When it comes to Chili’s next viral hit? The CMO stated the culinary and beverage teams are tracking social trends and prepping new fan-focused items for October, so really anything is possible.
