Someday when I'm rich and famous, I'm going to buy myself a Chili's or two. I probably won't eat there, but I'd honestly own a couple of Utah locations, especially this one. Why, you ask?
1. There are consistently hoards of people willing to wait 30-90 minutes in a teeny-tiny non-temperature-controlled vestibule to get a table here.
2. The profit margins on their menu items are certainly in the neighborhood of 7,200%.
3. They hire college-age (and under) servers, bussers, and kitchen staff. This undoubtedly translates to sub-standard pay/benefits. Cha-ching!
4. They have full-bar privileges for adult beverages. All imbibers are required by law to place an accompanying food order. Cha-ling-a-ching!
5. Their food is proven to be addictive. (See any health & wellness study ever done.)
6. The fare is cunningly priced to come in just under "we can't afford this" and just above "wow, this is cheap." This translates to gen-pub affordability.
I'm sure there are many other reasons, but the bottom line is: they serve medium to large-ish portions of quite unexceptional food, and deliver it to your table via moderately-trained servers. They don't hire chefs, as is common with chain restos. There is no artistry to their offerings, nor love coming from their kitchens; merely a guy named Karl with a food handler's permit who can use a microwave, is capable of pouring from a Ziploc bag, and can open a can or two without requiring a Worker's Comp claim.
All that said, this stuff doesn't taste that bad, for the most part. The queso dip is adequate; the salads are mid-grade; the fajitas are okay. And so on, and so on...
They make some decent margaritas, which they're evidently "famous for." I've had my share of El Presidente, and after the first one they're pretty tasty.
There will always be plenty-o-parties with meandering toddlers and screaming babies. You can ask to be moved, but there really are no safe zones, except the bar. Scratch that - many of these ankle-biteristic parties afford their young RRR privileges (Random Restaurant Roaming), so there's still a great chance you'll enjoy a temporary visit from the kiddies even in the bar area.
I haven't had anything at Chili's I've needed to send back. Nor have I had anything that caused me to take an eyes-closed moment to ponder on the flavors and contemplate the ingredients out of desire to recreate it at home. No thought required at all, in fact.
For my chain money, it's better than TGI Friday's or Applebee's, which by all rights are Chili's bastard stepbrothers.
Our recent visit was highlighted by a supremely attentive server who didn't miss a single beat, and was so well-mannered and professional that I suggested he set his sights higher and apply at a real restaurant. In retrospect, I sincerely hope he saw it as the compliment it was meant to be. read more