Dallas —
The future of Chili’s looks a lot like its past.
Red-leather booths, a staple of Chili’s restaurants in the 1990s, are coming back to dining rooms. So are the colorful tile tables, but without the grout that made them difficult to clean. And the walls will be adorned with other nostalgic touches, like a print of its original menu from 1975 with prices that aren’t too far from where they are now.
Those nods to the past are why the thriving casual-dining chain is debuting its new look in Dallas, Texas, the same city where it was founded more than five decades ago.
We sat down with Brinker International CEO and Chili’s president Kevin Hochman in early June, who told CNN over a plate of freshly cooked chips and salsa: “Our objective is we want to make Chili’s more Chili’s.”
