How America Got Its Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back
August 13, 2025 at 04:27PMRead this piece to see Dan Kois become reluctantly charmed by Chili’s, in his exploration of how this restaurant is making a huge comeback—with the help of influencers and the “hot mozz.” While taken aback by the brand’s fans, or “Chiliheads,” who describe a “fried appetizer iteration in the kinds of awestruck tones usually reserved for, like, the discovery of penicillin,” Kois, after consuming a lot of melted cheese, sees the appeal of the “mid” restaurant. Culminating in a Chili’s trip with some Gen Z teens, Kois reflects on the joy of going out together for some (cheap) food and hanging out in person, even if you might film the cheese pull for TikTok.
But it’s not just that Chili’s is making money hand over fist. The mozzarella sticks are going viral on TikTok. A Chili’s-produced minimovie celebrating National Margarita Day, starring Maria Menounos and Taye Diggs, just aired on Lifetime. And just when we thought hanging out was dead, Gen Z–ers seem to have rediscovered the joy of going out with friends, pounding a marg, and eating a gut-busting quantity of food. This 50-year-old chain restaurant, this totem of Scranton squareness, has somehow become … cool?
I visited Chili’s HQ outside Dallas to find out how it all happened. I operated a fryer for the first time since my teens, tried not to roll my eyes when people used the word Chilihead, and nerded out over the systems optimization that might be the brand’s secret weapon. I went to Texas dubious, but 9,000 calories later, I’m afraid I’ve become a true believer. Chili’s may not be the best restaurant in America—but it is the exact restaurant America needs right now.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/08/13/how-america-got-its-baby-back-baby-back-baby-back/
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