Dive Brief:
- Chili’s Grill & Bar is promoting its new 3 For Lunch Combo meals by staging a live event on X (formerly Twitter) featuring competitive eater Joey Chestnut, according to a press release.
- The stunt will feature Chestnut being challenged to outlast one of the chain’s new 3 For Lunch Combos, which include bottomless chips and salsa, a lunch entree and a bottomless non-alcoholic beverage, for the chance to win free Chili’s lunch for a year.
- The new menu introduction, an extension of Chili’s 3 For Me combos, is part of the chain’s overall value-based marketing proposition, which asserts Chili’s meals are of higher quality and better value than typical fast-food offerings.
Dive Insight:
Nostalgia marketing is back in a big way, with the return of brand icons like Mikey for Life cereal, ‘90s imagery for Old Navy and slogans like “Maybe It’s Maybelline” and “Do the Dew.” Chili’s is making its own nostalgia play of sorts by staging a live event on social media, a move that has become less frequent of late compared to years past. Specifically, the marketer is activating on X, a stunt that contrasts a broader advertiser pullback from the platform amid a wave of criticism under its ownership of Elon Musk.
The Joey Chestnut challenge will be hosted live on Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. CST on Chili’s X social media feed (@chilis). If Chestnut beats the challenge, he will win the 3 for Lunch Golden Basket Belt, which will entitle him to a year of free 3 for Lunch Combos. If he fails, the chain will offer the challenge and the same reward to its guests.
Chili’s is no stranger to using nostalgia to win over consumers. Last year, the chain enlisted ‘90s musical act Boyz II Men to bring back its iconic Baby Back Ribs jingle. In June, the chain released an online video game inspired by the ‘80s arcade title BurgerTime. Like the current 3 For Lunch promo, the Big Smasher BurgerTime game was meant to draw attention to the higher prices of Chili’s fast-food competitors and position itself as the logical alternative.
“It’s no secret that people are frustrated with the rising cost of fast food. Frankly, I think fast food has broken its promise to consumers on being the most affordable and convenient solution,” Chili’s CMO George Felix told Marketing Dive last month. “For us, we think that was a great place to insert Chili’s into the conversation.”
The 3 For Lunch combo meals are meant to be an extension of the brand’s successful 3 For Me menu offering. The 3 For Lunch Combos will be offered on weekdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time, with entree options including burgers, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches and its Triple Dipper offering.
