Chili’s value menu push

Chili’s is using a $10.99 chicken-sandwich meal to press its value pitch against fast food, extending a pricing fight that has helped lift the chain’s sales. (restaurantnews.com) The offer adds the Big Crispy and Spicy Big Crispy to Chili’s “3 For Me” lineup nationwide, bundling an entrée, fries, bottomless chips and salsa, and an unlimited fountain drink for $10.99. Chili’s announced the move on April 14 and tied it to a broader rollout of six Big Crispy sandwich variations. (restaurantnews.com ) Chili’s said its filet was more than 80% larger than the average McDonald’s McCrispy filet in a local study, and it built the campaign around that size comparison. The chain also staged a one-day “Big Crispy Food Court” pop-up in New York on April 16 at 37 Union Square West. (restaurantnews.com) This is the same play Chili’s used with burgers. The company said earlier that adding Big Smasher and Big QP burgers to “3 For Me” helped it frame full-service dining as a better value than a drive-thru meal. (restaurantnews.com) Brinker International, Chili’s parent, has been telling investors that competitive pricing and menu changes are bringing in new guests. On January 28, Brinker said Chili’s had posted 19 straight quarters of same-store sales growth and 8.6% comparable sales growth in its fiscal second quarter. (investors.brinker.com) The chicken push also tries to protect Chili’s sales mix. Restaurant Dive reported the chain paired the $10.99 bundle with higher-priced Big Crispy versions so it could keep the value message while still selling more premium sandwiches. (restaurantdive.com) That puts Chili’s into a crowded chicken market at a moment when rivals are still leaning hard on discounts. McDonald’s said last week it would add an “Under $3” menu and a $4 breakfast meal deal starting April 21 at participating United States restaurants. (today.com) Chili’s is betting diners will pay fast-food money for a sit-down meal if the math looks close enough. The company’s latest move keeps that argument in front of customers with a product category, chicken sandwiches, that fast-food chains helped popularize. (restaurantnews.com; investors.brinker.com)