Chili's

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Chili's
Type Wholly owned subsidiary
Founded 1975
Founder(s) Larry Lavine
Headquarters Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Key people Norman E. Brinker
Industry casual dining, restaurant
Parent Brinker International
Website www.chilis.com

Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has over 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada. Chili's is currently owned by Brinker International, which also owns On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Maggiano's Little Italy, and Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Contents

[edit] History

Chili's in Santa Clara, California

Chili's first location, a converted postal station on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas, opened on March 13, 1975.[1] 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 proved successful, and by the early 1980s there were 22 more Chili's locations in the region, all featuring similar Southwest decor.[2]

In 1983, Lavine sold the company to restaurant executive Norman E. Brinker, formerly of the Pillsbury restaurant group.[2] Chili's now has locations in all 50 U.S. states and 24 international locations.

[edit] Menu

Chili's in Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Chili's serves American food influenced by Tex-Mex cuisine. Appetizers include a spicy boneless and bone-in Buffalo wings, "Loaded Nachos" with various toppings, Southwestern eggrolls, the Triple Dipper, spinach and artichoke dip, tostada chips and house-made salsa, and a spiced, beefy cheese dip the company calls "Skillet Queso". Entrées include hamburgers which the company calls "Big Mouth Burgers", fajitas, quesadillas, baby back ribs, steaks and seafood. Chili's also serves a variety of alcoholic drinks and desserts, including such items as a molten chocolate cake, Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie and cheesecake. Chili's also offers a "Pepper Pals" kids' menu for children ages 12 and under which includes kid-friendly items such as "Little Mouth" burgers, "Pepper Pals Corn Dog", "Little Chicken Crispers", macaroni & cheese, grilled chicken, and pizza, as well as a variety of different side items.

[edit] Advertising

[edit] Jingle

"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 ad features a doo-wop quartet singing a cappella. The song was written by Guy Bommarito and produced by Tom Faulkner for GSD&M Advertising of Austin, Texas. Advertising Age magazine named the song first on its list of "10 songs most likely to get stuck in your head" in 2004.[3]

In 2008, the chain aired parody ads for "P. J. Bland's", a fictional restaurant chain with cardboard foods.[4]

[edit]

The Chili's logo resembles a red jalapeño pepper.

[edit] Global locations

[edit] Legalities

In October 2008, Chili's Australia was prosecuted and fined $300,000 by the NSW Office of Industrial Relations for underpaying staff, pressuring employees to sign an Australian workplace agreement and failing to pay an alleged amount of $45,000 in owed wages by a deadline set by the Office of Industrial Relations. In the same year, Chili's announced that it would be closing all of its Australian branches.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brinker publication (October 2007). "Brinker 2007 Corporate report". Brinker International, Inc.. http://www.brinker.com/company/brinker2007/01/page08.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  2. ^ a b "Brinker International". Answers.com. https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Brinker-International-Inc-Company-History.html. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  3. ^ "10 Songs most likely to get stuck in your head.(The Book of Tens)". Advertising Age.. December 2004. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6398/is_200412/ai_n26182606?tag=artBody;col1. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  4. ^ "Chili’s Spoofs Restaurant Ads with ‘P.J. Bland’s’ Campaign". Burger Business. 2009-04-15. http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=941. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
  5. ^ Illawarra Mercury (March 2008). "Fast food chain off the boil". Illawarra Mercury. http://illawarra.yourguide.com.au/articles/1197615.html. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  6. ^ ABC News (2007-09-26). "Chili's staff 'underpaid' $46,000 on AWAs". http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/26/2043404.htm. 
  7. ^ "Workplace Ombudsman Secures Second Penalty against Chili’s Restaurant". 2008-04-22. http://www.wo.gov.au/asp/index.asp?sid=7407&page=mediacentre-current-view&cid=5390&id=816. 
  8. ^ "Fast food chain off the boil.". Illawarra Mercury. 2008. http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/fast-food-chain-off-the-boil/465291.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-26. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Brinker International
People
Larry Lavine (Chili's founder) · Norman E. Brinker (Chairman Emeritus) · Douglas H. (Doug) Brooks (CEO) · Charles M. (Chuck) Sonsteby (CFO) · Michael B. (Happy) Webberman (EVP)
Food
Chains
Websites
Annual Revenue: ▲ $4,376.9 million (USD) (2007) · Employees: 113,900 (2007) · Stock Symbol: NYSE: EAT · Website: Brinker family restaurants
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