“It started with the cheese pull.”

.…from a Slate article on how Dallas-based Chili’s leveraged viral TikToks and shrewd marketing to become “the hottest restaurant chain in the country.”

In June, Dallas Innovates wrote about how Chili’s went viral on TikTok this year, snagging “over 200 million views” for videos about the chain’s Triple Dipper menu offerings and stretched-out mozzarella sticks. Now Slate has taken a deeper dive into why the Dallas-based brand has become “the hottest restaurant chain in the country.”

The story quotes Jonathan Maze, editor-in-chief of Restaurant Business, as calling Chili’s success “shocking”—especially compared to the dwindling fortunes of competitors like TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, and Applebee’s.

“I can’t tell you how much of a surprise Chili’s performance has been within the industry,” Maze told Slate’s Dan Kois, who visited Chili’s restaurants in Dallas, as well as a company test kitchen, to see what all the cheese-pulling momentum is about.

9,000 calories later, he came away “a true believer.” For more, see his Slate story here.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

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