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This story is the third in a series exploring how brands craft standout social media strategies. If you\u2019d like to chat about how your brand is approaching social, Katie Hicks wants to hear about it. Reach out to her at [email\u00a0protected]<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHi, welcome to Chili\u2019s\u201d is more than just a Vine reference. It\u2019s also the greeting that an increasing number of people might hear as the chain restaurant draws record numbers.<\/p>\n Brinker International, which owns the fast-casual chains Chili\u2019s and Maggiano\u2019s Little Italy, reported better-than-expected earnings last week, bolstered by a 24% increase in sales at Chili\u2019s in the quarter. For 17 consecutive quarters, Chili\u2019s has defied the odds, finding a way to draw customers in at a time when many sit-down chain restaurants are struggling to compete.<\/p>\n The secret, at least on the social side, just might be memes\u2014combined with a few deals here and there. According to Brinker International\u2019s earnings report, Chili\u2019s latest sales growth is a direct result of advertising highlighting the brand\u2019s \u201cindustry-leading value\u201d and \u201c[encouraging] guest trial.\u201d<\/p>\n CMO George Felix, who joined Chili\u2019s three years ago, credits much of the brand\u2019s recent success to being very online.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last year to year and a half, we\u2019ve really seen social media being a real driver of our business, and to tangible traffic into our restaurants and sales,\u201d Felix told Marketing Brew.<\/p>\n We spoke with Felix about how the brand is balancing fun and deal-driven content, and drawing in guests of all ages as a result.<\/p>\n Felix, who previously led marketing for brands like Tinder, Pizza Hut, and KFC, said his mission when he joined the company was to \u201cmake Chili\u2019s a relevant brand again in pop culture and in the zeitgeist.\u201d<\/p>\n To do it, he turned to social media, and especially TikTok, giving his social team the \u201cgreen light to move and move quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n He believes that strategy has paid off for the restaurant chain.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that as a brand, you\u2019ve got to take a lot of swings,\u201d Felix said. \u201cIt\u2019s just like baseball. Every swing you have isn\u2019t going to be a home run, but the more you take, you\u2019re going to get some singles, you\u2019re going to get some doubles; the more [swings] you take, you\u2019re going to hit a few more home runs.\u201d<\/p>\n So long as brand guardrails are in place, he said, social is \u201cthe perfect place to experiment\u201d with marketing ideas, something that Chili\u2019s does regularly, whether that\u2019s clapping back at TGI Fridays in a comment on X in May, or joking about smuggling ranch over international borders, which the brand did in a TikTok video from February.<\/p>\n Felix said he thinks that brands that post less frequently inevitably put more pressure on themselves to bat a thousand while also lessening their chances of actually going viral.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst that can happen is you have something that really doesn\u2019t go anywhere, and then you\u2019ve got another shot the next day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Beyond spontaneous social posts, Felix said Chili\u2019s plans \u201cculture pops,\u201d which are \u201cmeant to keep Chili\u2019s in the cultural conversation.\u201d The brand\u2019s nostalgia-driven Office<\/em>-themed campaign at its new Scranton, Pennsylvania, location, which took off earlier this year, and its collab with Western apparel brand Tecovas on \u201cBooth Boots,\u201d which dropped in late July, are recent examples; posts about both saw millions of views on TikTok.<\/p>\n Sometimes, a viral opportunity presents itself organically, Felix said\u2014in which case it\u2019s equally important to move fast. Last year, Chili\u2019s Triple Dipper meal deal that offers customers a choice of three types of appetizer took off on TikTok around the same time that Felix said the chain was promoting a new menu item, the Big Smasher Burger. Rather than continue with its regularly scheduled programming, he said, the team decided to pivot and \u201cput gas on the fire\u201d around the Triple Dipper, and the mozzarella sticks in particular.<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen we saw people doing cheese pulls and really jumping on that, it was something we couldn\u2019t ignore,\u201d Felix said.<\/p>\n Chili\u2019s asked creators who were previously tasked with posting about burgers to post about triple dipping instead, and the Chili\u2019s culinary team whipped up secret menu items like Nashville hot and honey-chipotle mozzarella sticks. Those efforts, Felix said, led to hundreds of millions of views and engagements on TikTok. Sales of the Triple Dipper, which costs just under $18, have grown 70% year over year and now account for 14% of Chili\u2019s total sales, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lesson for me was you have to be willing to let your fans have some control on the things that they love about your brand, and meet them where they are, and then have fun with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For Chili\u2019s, it\u2019s not all cheese pulls and memes. The brand has considerably upped its marketing budget, raising it from $32 million in 2022 to $137 million in 2025, while doubling down on the message that it\u2019s a place where customers can save a few bucks.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Chili\u2019s hosted a \u201cfast-food financing\u201d pop-up next to a Manhattan McDonald\u2019s location, emphasizing rising prices at fast-food chains and the $10.99 price tag on the Chili\u2019s 3 for Me combo meal option. (The restaurant brand also rolled out The Big QP, a menu item designed to compete directly with the McDonald\u2019s Quarter Pounder.) Felix said the decision to message around prices came from social listening and seeing videos from frustrated drive-thru customers, which led the marketing team to realize Chili\u2019s had an opportunity to showcase itself as a lower-cost, higher-quality dining experience.<\/p>\n But social posts can only go so far, and the strength of that argument only comes through if diners do have a higher-quality experience. Chili\u2019s has invested in making improvements to its food and restaurant interiors, with Felix acknowledging the importance of presentation. If all goes well, he said, an order from the kitchen could be seen by millions of people online.<\/p>\n \u201cVirality led people to be curious enough to come into Chili\u2019s, and our team members are doing an amazing job delivering a great experience,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they have a great experience, they\u2019re more likely to come back and tell all their friends about it.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what the brand\u2019s next viral moment could be? Felix said the culinary and beverage teams are watching social trends and have new items coming in October geared towards fans. He said he\u2019s watching how Gen Z guests seem to love different sauce options and is experimenting with showcasing Triple Dipper \u201chacks\u201d online, like putting mozzarella sticks on burger bites.<\/p>\n \u201cFried cheese,\u201d he said, \u201cknows no bounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe perfect place to experiment\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Triple dippin\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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