Chili’s Stunning Recent Comeback Built on Two Simple Core Strategies

Over the past several years, casual dining brand Chili’s has pulled off a major, widely watched comeback. The popular Tex-Mex chain turned 50 last year, and recently announced it has delivered 20 straight quarters of consistent sales growth.

Chili’s CEO Kevin Hochman told Business Insider the chain’s winning streak boils down to two foundational priorities: marketing and in-restaurant operations. “We have a saying here: Marketing brings them in, and ops brings them back,” Hochman told BI.

Hochman first laid out this core philosophy for analysts and investors during an earnings call last year, and it’s clear the chain has continued leaning hard into this strategy in the months since. “The marketing has to be exciting,” Hochman explained. “And then the operators are in charge of creating that memorable experience that keeps guests coming back.”

Chili’s growth has also received a massive boost from one of its most beloved menu items: the Triple Dipper, a customizable pick-three appetizer combo that has become a staple for diners. The menu item accounted for 14% of Chili’s total global sales last year. Last year, the dramatic, melt-in-your-mouth cheese pull of Chili’s deep-fried mozzarella sticks—one of the most popular options for the Triple Dipper combo—went viral across TikTok and other social media platforms.

NPR reported the chain sold a staggering 41 million Triple Dipper combos during the 2025 fiscal year. After the mozzarella sticks skyrocketed in viral popularity, the chain capitalized on the hype by rolling out new flavors for the combo to keep customer interest high.