Brinker International’s comparable sales growth during its fiscal Q2 2025 broke records. Its same-store sales rose 27%, largely driven by Chili’s 31% leap in comparable sales for the quarter ending Dec. 25, 2024, the company said in a Wednesday press release.
Chili’s sales growth included a nearly 20% increase in traffic, driven by heavy investments in ads emphasizing the chain’s “industry leading value.” This marketing brought in guests, while improvements to operations led to return visits, the company said. Favorable menu mix and menu pricing also positively impacted sales growth.
This momentum is particularly significant because many casual chains, including Darden, Dine Brands and Bloomin’ Brands, have posted declines or meager growth in same-store sales. Consumer price sensitivity has driven down traffic in recent quarters.
Chili’s turnaround plan took seven quarters to turn traffic to positive, CEO Kevin Hochman said during a Wednesday earnings call. He expects a similar timeline for Maggiano’s — which saw comparable sales rise by over 1% — to improve traffic as part of its own turnaround strategy. Maggiano’s is working on menu improvements in addition to remodels and other operational efficiencies.
At Chili’s, upgrades to menu ingredients improved customer satisfaction scores. Staff now make guacamole in-house everyday, for example. Chili’s is using higher quality chicken breast for entrees and upgraded its bone-in chicken wings recipe to make them crispier, Hochman said. The chain will continue to enhance its ingredients, leading to better tasting food, “which is a key piece in accelerating our results,” he said.
Chili’s also trimmed 13 menu items and 12 pantry SKUs in addition to reducing prep sets, he said, adding that the brand is reinvesting time in doing fewer things better.
“We are encouraged with our ability to accelerate sales results while we also continue to trim the menu,” CEO said.
Chili’s comparable sales from fiscal 2023 through fiscal Q2 2025
Driving efficiencies with back-of-house improvements
The chain has made several back-of-house equipment changes that have boosted operations. Chili’s completed the installation of a new kitchen display system, which eliminated hundreds of pages of reference finders in the kitchen and made it easier to find recipes. This contributed to slightly faster ticket times even with an increase in customer traffic, Hochman said.
While Chili’s still offers the It’s Just Wings virtual brand, it has simplified the brand to the point that it was able to remove the specific station for wings. The equipment took up too much space for just 1% of the business. This change led to less prep time, less equipment to clean and more space, allowing the kitchen to focus on high-growth items like Triple Dippers and Crispers, Hochman said.
Chili’s will also fully deploy TurboChefs across its system after three years of testing. Compared to previous conveyor belt ovens, these ovens take up less space and cook items faster and more consistently.
“With the sustained traffic increases, the time is right to upgrade the balance of our system to a piece of equipment that can properly handle our new increased volumes,” Hochman said.
How marketing helped bring customers in
The company also made significant strides in marketing its Triple Dipper, which is a combination of three appetizers of a guest’s choice, as part of a campaign that began April 2024. During the second quarter, the chain partnered with social media influencers to market this product. Chili’s basically doubled the share of its business attributable to Triple Dippers, which represented 14% of total sales during the quarter, compared to 7% a year ago, Hochman said.
Its Better Than Fast Food campaign for its 3 for Me offer also contributed to increased guest counts, Hochman said.
“While competitors can certainly price below our 3 for Me offer, it is very difficult for them to replicate the total value proposition given the amount of time and investment we have put into improving the experience,” Hochman said.
“Chili's innovative approach to value continues to resonate with consumers,” R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, wrote in an email. “The 3 For Me promotion drove incremental visits this quarter, attracting a broader demographic range compared to the same period last year.”
The chain is seeing growth across its entire menu, including premium items like Big Smasher burger, Don Julio margaritas and $6 Margarita of the Month, Hottovy said. Brinker plans to develop similar menu innovations at Maggiano’s that will help boost traffic.
Heavy competitor promotional activities “pressure tested” Chili’s value proposition and turnaround strategy, but the chain held its own, Hochman said.
“Chili’s turnaround is taking hold and it is sustainable,” Hochman said. “The investments we have been making over the last three years are working.”
