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Chili’s

Chili's Restaurant Back of the Menu

Chili’s (pc: theseniorlist.com)

Larry Lavine loved burger joints growing up and always dreamed of having one, but it was a chili cook-off that really grabbed his attention. He took creativity in opening the very first location in a former post office in Dallas Texas and the restaurant and chain have never looked back. As for Larry, he created one of the most notable casual dining restaurants in America today before selling it and beginning a new restaurant.

 

General Restaurant Information

Food Type: American

Restaurant Type: Casual Dining

U.S. Locations: 1,259

States: 49 states, Chili’s Locations

Company Slogan: 

Fresh Is Now.

Like no place else.

Chili’s Wants You to Know It’s Back (Baby Back, Baby Back)!

 

Contact Information

Website: chilis.com

Questions: Contact Information

Phone number: 800-983-4637

Email: Contact Form Only

Blog: Blog Site

FAQ Page: Frequently Asked Questions

 

Ownership

Who Owns Chili’s? Brinker International

Headquartered: Dallas, Texas

Contact Information: 

Website: brinker.com

Email/contact page: Brinker Contact Information 

Phone972-980-9917

Address: 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240

Do They Franchise? Franchise Information

 

What Is It Like To Work At Chili’s?

Employment Page

3.8/5 or 76%; 118 Reviews (indeed.com)

3.4/5, or 68%; 2,500 Reviews (glassdoor.com)

 

The First Chili's Restaurant

The Original Chili’s Restaurant. Address: converted post office on Greenville Ave then moved to Greenville and Meadow Rd, Dallas, Texas (pc: brinker.com)

The History of Chili’s

Original Location: The very first location was converted post office but then located down the street to what the company considers the “first location” (pictured here) at 7567 Greenville Ave at Meadow Road,  Dallas, Texas. (The post office was just down the road but I’ve not found the address yet.)

Founded: March 13, 1975

Founded By: Larry Lavine

Biography Articles:

Once Upon A Time (brinker.com)

Our Story (chilisjobs.com)

Founder Lavine to ‘customize’ a chain (nrn.com)

Larry Lavine & French Cowboy Chef Philipe Schmidt (restaurantownerradio.com)

Founder Obituary: Still Living

Name Origin: Larry Lavine was inspired by the Terlingua Chili cook-off he attended in 1967

History Page: Company History Page

Current View of Original Location: 7567 Greenville Ave as it is today (link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)

Historical Articles: 

Our Story (brinker.com)

Chili’s Serves Its First Burger (dmagazine.com)

Inside the original Chili's Back of the Menu

Inside the original Chili’s Restaurant (pc- mentalfloss.com)

Social Awareness

Charity Focus: Community Support

Green | Eco-Friendly: No resources found

Animal Cruelty:

Switching to 100% gestation crate-free pork (cagefreefuture.com)

 

Discounts At Chili’s

Rewards Program: Reward Program 

Do Kids Eat Free at Chili’s?

What day do kids eat free? Most locations offer a kids eat free night, normally Monday or Tuesday

SummaryAs always, call and check with your location. Most offer a free kids meal with an adult entree.

Does Chili’s Offer Military Discounts?

Summary: The chain offers a free meal on Veteran’s Day. You can also ask your local establishment if they offer an additional discount throughout the year. 

What Does Chili’s offer for My Birthday!?

Summary: A free dessert on your birthday if you are a part of their rewards program.

Does the restaurant Offer First Responder Discounts?

Summary: No resources found

Does Chili’s Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?

Summary: Most locations offer a 10% discount for seniors over the age of 55 (as always, check your local restaurant for details)

Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits?

Summary: When you join the Rewards program, they currently offer the following benefits

Personalized Rewards just for you – free kids meals, appetizers, desserts and more!

Free dessert on your birthday

Free Wifi

1-Tap reorder of your favorites in the mobile app

 

Chili's Back of the Menu

Oldtimer Burger (pc-chilis.com)

Amenities

Order Online: Online Order

WiFi Available: Yes

Use Apple Pay: Most location  

Reservations: No  

Catering: Catering Menu

Drive-Thru: No 

Open 24 Hours: No  

 

Customer Reviews

Yelp: 2.6/5 or 52%, 2,583 reviews sampled

Tripadvisor: 3.79/5 or 79%, 3,351 reviews sampled

Overall (weighted) Average: 3.36/5 or 67%, 5,934 reviews sampled

 

Chili's & Related Items on Amazon

The Hungover Cookbook

Food & Nutrition

Menu:  Chili’s Menu

Kids Menu:  Kids Menu

Secret Menu:  Chili (couponsherpa.com

Most Popular Menu Item:  Old Timer with Cheese

Coke or Pepsi: Coke

Serve Alcohol: Yes

Nutritional Information: Chili’s Nutrition Guide

Vegetarian | Vegan Options:

145 Vegan Chain Restaurant Menus Every Vegan Needs to Know (urbantastebud.com)

Eating Vegan at National Restaurant Chains (insteading.com)

Farm to Table | Organic Options | Clean | Non-GMO: No resources found

Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources: 

The Most Popular Chain Restaurants Ranked! (eatthis.com)

Nutritional Information (fatsecret.com) (nutrition-charts.com) (healthydiningfinder.com)

The 50 Unhealthiest Meals of 2017 (eatthis.com)

The 7 Best Things To Order At Chili’s, According To Nutritionists (womenshealthmag.com)

Allergy Information

Allergen Information: Chili’s Allergen Guide

Gluten Free Options: 

Chili’s Gluten Free Menu (urbantastebud.com)

Dairy Free Options: 

Dairy Free Options (godairyfree.org)

Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)

Peanut Free Options: 

Chili’s Peanut & Allergy Information (chilis.com)

Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)

Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)

 

Chili's Back of the Menu

Inside a Chili’s Restaurant (pc-pinterest.com)

Does Chili’s Have Any Secret Recipes?

Secret Recipes:  

Chili’s 33 Recipes! (topsecretrecipes.com)

Chicken Enchilada Soup (tasteofhome.com) (sixsistersstuff.com)

Cajun Chicken Pasta (delish.com) (sixsistersstuff.com)

Skillet Queso (cupcakediariesblog.com) (sixsistersstuff.com) (copykat.com)

Salsa (sixsistersstuff.com)

Grilled Baby Back Ribs (geniuskitchen.com)

Southwestern Egg Rolls (allrecipes.com)

Miscellaneous Recipes (allrestaurantrecipes.com)

Steak Fajitas (sixsistersstuff.com)

Fajitas (sixsistersstuff.com)

Hot Fudge Molten Lava Cake (sixsistersstuff.com)

Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers (delish.com) (spicysouthernkitchen.com)

 

 

Did You Know?

Fun Facts: 

Lavine credits Burger House and Goff’s Hamburgers for the initial concept of Chilis (interactive.dmagazine.com)

The original restaurant began as a burger joint but it was attending a chili cook-off that inspired Larry to branch out his menu.

Many locations use a robot waitstaff (wsj.com)

Larry Lavine has since gone on to open a new restaurant called Ten50 BBQ

After the backlash they received, the chain discontinued supporting Planned Parenthood (theblaze.com)

The famous Baby Back Ribs jingle came out in 1986 (see video below)

They had close ties with the band N Sync as the group did a commercial for them (see below) and they sponsored what would be N Sync’s last tour.

They were the first chain to open on an Air Force Base which was in Japan (thedailymeal.com)

The original Terlingua Chili may not be the healthiest menu item, but it will be the same recipe used by Lavine when the restaurant started in 1975

 

Interesting Articles:

Inside the Church of Chili’s (gq.com)

Reduce menu items, speedy service (nrn.com)

Chili’s to slash 40% of the menu (nrn.com)

15 Things You Didn’t Know (thedailymeal.com)

10 Things You Didn’t Know (huffpost.com) (thrillist.com)

What You Need to Know About Chili’s Turnaround Plan (foodnewsfeed.com)

 

Chili's & Related Items on Amazon

The Hungover Cookbook

 

Social Media

Followers (as of September 2018) –  

Facebook: 3,762,164

Twitter: 393,000

Instagram: 276,000

Mobile Apps

Alternatives

Food Type: Applebee’s, O’Charley’s, TGI Fridays

Restaurant Type: Abuelo’s, Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, Chuy’s, Famous Dave’s, O’Charley’s, Red Robin, Texas Roadhouse, TGI Fridays 

For an alphabetical listing of all our restaurants, simply go to our Restaurants Page.

 

In Summary

Some restaurants have little personality, like Village Inn, but others carry an interesting story and facts surrounding it. Chili’s may not be the most significant family restaurant available in your town, but they are (or were) interesting at least. I enjoy learning about restaurants that were born or inspired by other restaurants, and this chain has that. They also have an interesting first location story where they initially set-up shop in a Post Office before moving to their first location. Their food is very popular with their fans but is lacking in healthy menu options. You have to be careful, or you’ll eat a day’s worth of sodium in one meal. If you fall into the category of a fan, you probably don’t care as much about the health as your love for their baby back ribs or burgers. If health is a primary focus for you or your family, enjoy their story and fun facts, but keep looking elsewhere for your next meal.

 

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