Chili’s revamps value meal

Chili’s expanded its $10.99 “3 For Me” value meal on April 14 by adding a new Big Crispy chicken sandwich and aiming the offer directly at fast-food bundles. (brinker.com) The chain said the $10.99 meal includes an entrée, fries, bottomless chips and salsa, and an unlimited fountain drink, with the Original Big Crispy and Spicy Big Crispy now available at that price nationwide. Chili’s also launched four higher-priced Big Crispy variations outside the base bundle. (brinker.com; restaurantdive.com) Chili’s built the rollout around a direct comparison with fast food, saying its hand-battered chicken breast is larger than McDonald’s McCrispy and staging a one-day “food court” pop-up in Manhattan on April 16. The marketing campaign came two weeks after McDonald’s said it would expand McValue on April 21 with an Under $3 menu and a $4 breakfast meal deal. (fastcompany.com; corporate.mcdonalds.com) The fight is landing in a market where restaurant chains are chasing diners who have pulled back after years of menu-price inflation. Wendy’s introduced a new “Biggie Deals” lineup in January with $4, $6, and $8 tiers, and McDonald’s is adding at least 10 items priced under $3 on April 21. (irwendys.com; corporate.mcdonalds.com) For Chili’s, the value push is also part of a longer turnaround. Brinker International said Chili’s same-store sales rose 31.6% in the quarter ended March 26, 2025, driven by 20.9% traffic growth, after advertising that highlighted value and pushed trial. (investors.brinker.com) Brinker has kept using that playbook in fiscal 2026. In its latest quarterly materials, the company said menu changes, competitive pricing, and advertising strengthened Chili’s value proposition, while Chief Executive Kevin Hochman told investors the new chicken platform was designed to span value, mid-priced, and premium tiers to protect margins. (investors.brinker.com; restaurantdive.com) That means the new sandwich is doing two jobs at once: giving Chili’s a sharper entry point at $10.99 and giving it pricier versions for customers who trade up. The company is betting that a sit-down chain can win budget diners without looking like a discount brand. (restaurantdive.com; brinker.com) The next test comes fast. McDonald’s expanded McValue starts April 21, and Chili’s is already trying to lock in the comparison before that menu reaches stores nationwide. (corporate.mcdonalds.com; brinker.com)